Legend Of Spyro: Challenge of Hearts
by Cynderthedragon1
Summary: Note: I DID NOT WRITE THE FIRST 26 CHAPTERS. They were written by a friend who no longer exists on this site. That said, it has been adjusted with little bits and bobs of my own, therefore it is not the original. Immediately after the war for the realms, Malefor has been defeated. We find Spyro left to the temple with his secret love, Cynder, and the surviving Dragon population.
1. Chapter 1

**To anyone reading this, A note. The first 27 chapters were not written by me! They were written by Path Unknown, so please don't send messages saying It doesn't belong to me. I will be continuing the story in lieu of him. Remember to Like, favorite and Review.**

**Chapter: 1 Getting together**

The sun streamed through the translucent curtains that flapped in the winds. There was a young black dragoness lying in the morning sun. The black dragoness had gone through most of her life fighting those she now lived amongst. But, with the Dragon race was on the brink of disappearance, Cynder was welcomed to stay within the confines of the dragon temple. Yet even her assistance to Spyro, purple Dragon of legend, which pulled their world back from the edge of disaster from the dark master, Malefor.

It had been two full weeks since the final battle that had decided the fate of their world, and Cynder had found herself willing to accept many different, and new, facts. That she would now be treated as an equal by the rest of her race, by the decree from the current Guardians to never have her past brought up. But in return, Cynder would have to contribute to their cause in any way she could. But almost immediately after the Dark master had been defeated, the Valley of Avalar had become peaceful to anyone and anything that lived within its boundaries. Which left Cynder with only one option, and that was to have a family. But such a simple task was hard to come by for the Dragoness. For her past was littered with traitorous acts that off many that she might've desired. Despite the fact that she was one of the very few remaining females amongst them, Cynder had been seemingly been shunned by all other Dragons in the temple. She was trusted enough to live there, but avoided at all costs by other Dragons.

As more of her body became engulfed by the morning light, Cynder slowly came to, and awoke. _Yet another day_. She took a deep breath and sighed. _Yet another day of seclusion._

The young Dragoness rose to her feet and stretched her limbs, feeling her joints crack as each one reached its maximum length. Cynder had never felt the same after the defeat of Malefor. There was so much she didn't know about the battle too. For when Spyro and Malefor had launched both their energies at one another, Cynder had leant all her strength to Spyro, joining all of what she had with his power. After several minutes of struggling against the Dark master, Cynder had used all her energy, causing her to lose consciousness. The last thing she heard was Spyro shouting out her name, then all turned black. When Cynder had woken up days later, she was in the Dragon Temple, effectively being treated by the Guardians upon arrival. But Cynder hadn't seen Spyro since the battle. She wanted to thank the purple Dragon for what he had done, how he had freed her from the grasp of darkness that controlled her mind and body, but most importantly, how he had freed the world from Evil. But today would be different. Today she would purposely seek him out, and confront the one that saved her.

_How can I meet her?_ Spyro had been awake for hours, trying to run a conversation with Cynder through his mind. The purple Dragon had been avoiding her at all costs, on the off chance he would make a fool of himself. _What if she asks me…_Spyro was lost for thoughts. Ever since he had recued Cynder from the dark Masters power, Spyro found himself strangely connected with her. It was something he couldn't explain, yet refused to tell anyone else of, on the risk of having his reputation as savior ruined. It was times like these that he wished Ignitus was still alive. The Fire Guardian had given his life so that Spyro and Cynder could escape the Dark Masters capture. For the battle had already been won by Malefor. As Spyro had released Cynder from her possessed form, Malefor took the split second that Spyro was distracted to become frozen by his power. But Ignitus had stepped forward to challenge the Dark Master, sending enough of his power to release Spyro, allowing both young Dragons to escape with their lives.

_Why must this be so hard?_ Spyro looked out the window, feeling the warming sun against his scales. There was much of the world he could have, just by asking. But there was much more he desired, _I must speak to her, even if it is just a thank you. _Spyro admitted defeat, going with the lesser of two evils, wanting at least to get the confrontation over and done with before anything was to happen. Spyro walked out of his room and down the entirety of the Dragon temple's corridor to reach Cynders. Spyro had been given the room closest to the main entryway. The only ones who had better accommodations were the Guardians alone. But in everyone's eyes, Spyro deserved better than that. Cynder, on the other hand, had opted to take a room away from all the others. It would mean a little extra walking, but she didn't mind, as long as the other Dragons left her alone. Upon arriving in front of Cynders door, Spyro's nerves started to take effect. He was worried of her reaction of finding him in front of her door before the day's activities started. But Spyro found himself unable to confront the black Dragoness. He was afraid for the first time since fighting the dark master. But it was a new type of fear, one that he hadn't had the chance to allow inside himself. One that he didn't have the time to deal with during the war with Malefor. It was the fear of losing one he cared for.

_I've got to see him! I'll just go to his room, and say thank you._ Cynder was having the same problems. _That's it. Just a thank you…I'm allowed to do that right?_ Cynder had been asking herself questions for ten past ten minutes, again, trying to find a liable reason to confront the purple Dragon. _That's it!_

Cynder walked through her doorway and spotted the tip of Spyro's tail disappearing down the end of a corridor. Cynder angered at herself for a moment, she had just missed Spyro again. But this time, she was determined to catch up with him. The black Dragoness bounded down the corridor, reaching the turn Spyro had taken and stopping at the intersection. Cynder paused for a moment, she knew he couldn't have gotten far, and finding him would be as easy as following her nose. So that's what she did. Cynder quickly found Spyro's trail leading down the stairs and into the main foyer of the Dragon Temple. She continued to dash around the structure, stopping at ever intersection, following the trail of Spyro, which she found incredibly easy. Cynder turned the final corridor, finally catching up to the purple Dragon on his way to the pool of visions. But Cynder froze mid-stride upon finding Ember aside Spyro, visibly trying to get closer to him. Cynder's insides began to boil. It wasn't that she hated Ember; it was Ember insisted on getting closer to Spyro despite the fact that he clearly explained he was not interested. Cynder proceeded to close in on the two, wondering what they were talking about at the time.

"-told you before Ember. Its not going to happen between us." Spyro continued on his way, only to have Ember grab his tail with one of her forelegs, causing him to yelp as it was stretched to its maximum length.

"And I've told you before, Spyro. I'm not going to take no for an answer."

"Ember let me go. Why don't you go annoy Flame for a change?" Ember released Spyro's tail with a huff.

"Maybe I will…" Ember continued on her way, rubbing the tip of her tail down his side as she passed. It took all of Cynder's self control to not tear the pink dragoness apart. Spyro turned away from Ember.

"One day she is goi-" Spyro saw Cynder staring at him. "Cynder…It's so great that I found you."

"But I was looking for you, Spyro." Cynder turned her head away for a second. On the inside, she was blushing, but luckily enough the black of her scales didn't show any other color.

There was a long moment of silence as the two Dragons stared upon each other.

"I wanted to thank you for-" they both said at the same time.

"Spyro, you saved my life and freed me from my torment of being Malefor's slave."

"And you gave all you could to help in the final battle when I defeated the Dark Master." They both looked at each other for a few moments,

"I couldn't have done it without you," both Dragons said again. Spyro started to walk past Cynder, leaving her with the same dumbfound look it had gained her when she learned Spyro was looking for her.

_Say something!_ Cynder's mind was screaming at her to prolong her conversation with Spyro.

"Spyro?" The purple Dragon stopped and whirled around, instantly taking another gaze at the black Dragoness. "What is it Cynder?"

_Crap! Think of something!_ Cynder glanced around the corridor, finding nothing that would spring a thought, but then she came up with an idea.

"Spyro, if there is anything that I can do to repay you for freeing me from the Dark Masters power, don't hesitate to ask."

"Cynder, you owe me nothing. We both have helped each other equally over the past few weeks. And I'm sure that our paths will cross again." Spyro started to turn around, but stopped, realizing something. "Why are you down here anyway?" He asked kindly. Cynder was trapped. She could either tell him the truth, and hope he didn't get mad, or she could make up an excuse to stay beside him longer. The latter was her choice.

"I got lost trying to find the training room. Luckily I ran into you down here. Spyro gave her a skeptical look, as he knew she had been given a tour of most of the Dragon Temple. But with its sheer volume, it was easy to get lost in, so he accepted the lie.

"The training rooms are upstairs, in fact, I think almost everything is upstairs from where we are. But why would you be training now? Everything is at peace now, why would you need to train?"

"What if I like to stay active and healthy? Rather than just doing nothing at all…" Cynder looked down at the floor, and Spyro hadn't taken his eyes off her for a moment during their conversation. And, as far as she knew, Spyro hadn't even blinked the whole time.

"Why are you staring at me like that Spyro?" The purple Dragon shook his head slightly, coming back from his waking dreams, "W-wha-? Sorry, Cynder. What was that?" Spyro's face color shaded slightly, deepening it natural color to a very dark red. "Never mind. Could you show me the way out of here?"

"Yeah, sure. Its this way." Spyro looked away from Cynder for the first time since their conversation started. Cynder naturally felt strange having another Dragon ogle over her. But it was something she could get used to, as long as Spyro was the one staring.

"I'll show him…. Spyro wants me to annoy Flame, so lets see how much of me he can handle." Ember made her way up to the main foyer of the Dragon Temple. "Now, where would he be?" Ember glanced around the main entryway, finding nothing within sight that even lead to any sign of Flame. "Ancestors, where is that Dragon?"

"Where is who?" Ember jumped upon hearing the voice of Flame behind her. The pink Dragoness dug her claws into the soft ground underneath her, regaining calm composure from before.

"Flame! You scared me!" The pink dragoness yelled back at him.

"I'm sorry, but there was som-"

"It's okay Flame," Ember seemed to calm herself much faster than expected, starting to circle around Flame, taking every step slower than the last. "In fact, there was something I wanted to see you about."

"W-wha-? Why would you want to see me?" Flame could obviously see that Ember was looking him over. At first it caused him to act nervous. He had always liked Ember, but she was always too busy chasing Spyro for her to notice any of his moves toward her. This had always frustrated him to the point of telling Ember how he felt. But Flame knew better than that,she would not listen until Spyro had hurt her, or was already taken.

"No, reason…" Ember had moved unnaturally close to the red Dragon. Not that he minded though.

"Ember, what are you doing? If this is some trick, its not funny." Flame turned to face the pink Dragoness, who stopped completely, staring almost right into Flames red eyes.

"Would I trick you…Flame? Ember ran the tip of her tail up the side of his foreleg. He relished the contact between them. Flame almost lost control of himself, the touch of Ember's tail against his scale drove him crazy, and she knew it. But Ember remembered that it was only to make Spyro jealous, so that was all she needed.

"Why don't you and I go…out…for awhile? Ember brushed her tail against his side again, enticing him to follow, regardless of what his mind was saying.

Spyro and Cynder stopped at the entrance into the main foyer. The two had seen everything between Flame and Ember, yet neither said anything. Cynder thought she could finally have Spyro to herself, and Spyro thought he could finally have some to spend with time without Ember annoying him. Every Dragon in the temple's entrance thought that they were getting what they wanted.

Spyro waited until Ember and Flame and left before continuing on to the training room with Cynder. _Thank the Ancestors those two are together._ Cynder was thinking the same thing, but didn't say a word as they continued. But Spyro thought it was a little too easy for him to get Ember to leave him alone.

**Once again, this story, up until chapter 27 will not be written by me. Those chapters are being re-uploaded because I wanted to see this book finished. Unseen Fury wrote these chapters, so credit for this amazing book goes to him. Like/favorite/review.**


	2. Chapter 2 What I Want

Cynder and Spyro reached the training room several minutes after seeing Ember and Flame leave the temple. Both Dragons continued in silence, avoiding each other's gaze as they walked, side by side. Cynder was aching on the inside to tell Spyro how she felt, but little did she know that Spyro too, was thinking the same thing. They both liked each other, though neither of them knew it.

Cynder was thinking of a way that would force Spyro to make a decision on whether he liked her or not. But everything came down to the reason he might not forgive her. So, the black Dragoness huffed silently, dealing with her boredom with dreams of her and Spyro being together. Flying in circles around each other, running through the dense forests that surrounded the Dragon Temple and sleeping beside each other in their own room. But Cynder's imagination could only stretch so far, as the Spyro in her dreams never said a word, much like the one in real life. Although this would seem like an upset, Cynder liked, in a way, having Spyro silent beside her. It gave her time to enjoy their brief time together.

"Just down the end of this hallway is the training room." Spyro said suddenly. Cynder perked her head up and down the seemingly endless corridor.

_He spoke to me!_ Cynder became almost ecstatic with the opportunity of having another conversation with Spyro. _What should I say?_ Cynder glanced over at Spyro, who was still staring straight down the corridor. _Say something before it's too late! _Cynder looked straight ahead. "Why did they make this place so big? _Damn. _

"Before Malefor was….Awakened… This place was filled with Dragons from all over the land. Or, that's what Ignitus told me…" Spyro took a deep sigh.

"You miss him, don't you?" Cynder looked at Spyro, who was actually staring back at her. "I shouldn't be here. Ignitus gave his life so that you could free me."

Spyro's eyes widened, "Don't talk like that. It's my fault for not paying enough attention."

Cynder stepped before Spyro, forcing the purple Dragon to stop. She took a deep breath and stared directly into his deep, violet eyes. "Spyro…Don't blame yourself for this. He gave his life for us to escape, and because of Ignitus's sacrifice, the dark Master was defeated.

Spyro didn't know what to do. Cynder managed to become so serious, yet honest at the same time. All he could do from her statement was agree. Spyro nodded slightly, and Cynder returned to his side once more. The two continued down the corridor, soon reaching the training room.

Cynder immediately sat down, just on the inside of the room, Leaving Spyro to continue on alone. Until he turned to look at Cynder, noticing she wasn't at his side anymore.

"Why did you stop?" I thought you wanted to come here…" Spyro glanced around the training room again, noticing that the entire room had changed since he had last been inside it. Many months ago was his last training session, and that was done by Ignitus, teaching Spyro to use last resort moves using most of his flame power.

"I did… but it's more fun if you have a training partner." Cynder stood from her position and headed towards Spyro, who hesitantly backed away slowly as the black dragoness inched closer to him.

"What's wrong Spyro, afraid I'll beat you?"

The purple Dragon had never actually been defeated in a one on one training session before. Only when two or three of the guardians teamed up were they able to defeat the young purple Dragon. But Spyro knew that he could beat Cynder easily. Only when she was in her possessed form did she stand any form of challenge, but Spyro never wanted to think about Cynder like that again. Spyro also never backed down from a challenge, and this time would be no different.

"Ok, you're on." Spyro lowered his head and spread his front paws slightly, readying for an attack. "Say when."

Cynder stepped closer to Spyro, slowly making her way around to his tail. Spyro steadied his position, preparing for Cynder to make a strike towards him. The black Dragoness continued around Spyro until she was directly behind him. Cynder leapt into the air, just above Spyro. "Ok now!" Cynder started to fall onto Spyro's position, but only when she got within inches of the purple Dragon did he move.

Cynder landed on the ground and quickly whirled, trying to find Spyro. But the only image she could make out was a purple blur. Cynder struck out with her tail, making sure that the bladed edge wouldn't slice right through the purple Dragon. But Spyro easily dodged around Cynder's tail, continuing on his circle around the black Dragoness. Yes, he was toying with her, but Spyro did not want to really hurt the one he secretly loved.

Cynder pulled her tail back within the purple tornado. Pondering her next plan of attack against Spyro, Cynder unfurled her wings, trying to gain speed for herself using Spyro's power. The black Dragoness instantly shot straight into the air, falling back down as a crumpled mess of limbs and wings. By his act only, Cynder landed directly on top of Spyro, putting them both face to face against each other, Cynder on Spyro.

The black Dragoness instantly put all her power through her forelegs, pinning Spyro against the ground, leaving him with no option but to submit, unless he wanted to harm Cynder in their duel. Spyro struggled against Cynder's efforts to keep him pinned, but to no avail. All Spyro could do was lay there, stuck to the ground. He felt Cynder's hind legs find his own, and immediately pinned them against the ground too, placing their bodies against each other, everything of Spyro's was either pinned by Cynder's opposite limb, or held in an awkward position between the two Dragons.

"Looks like I win this time." Cynder continued to hold Spyro against the ground. She had no intention of letting him go, as their closeness was something she had dreamt of, but was never able to achieve.

Spyro tried once more to release himself from against the ground, but his futile effort proved useless against Cynder. "I was only going easy on you Cynder."

The black Dragoness continued the pressure against Spyro's body. "Sure you were Spyro. I'll believe you." Cynder ran the tip of her tail against Spyro's ribs; she was going to enjoy having Spyro in such a vulnerable position while it lasted. "But for now, I won…"

Spyro loved the feeling of Cynder rubbing down his side. Almost a little too much for his own good. Spyro felt a strong pressure build near the base of his tail. Having his body so close to Cynder's made it hard for the purple Dragon to control himself, but her continued touch drove him over the edge. Spyro knew he was in trouble at that moment, yet Cynder continued on only with the intention of annoyance on her mindset.

Spyro's eyes widened on the thoughts Cynder might have if he found out he actually enjoyed being that close to her, but it was only a matter of time before she would feel his member press against her body. The purple Dragon knew he had to move quickly to avoid being caught.

Cynder looked away from Spyro's side, glancing toward his head, finding his eyes unusually wider than usual. She loved the color of his eyes, such a deep purple that was so kind, yet deadly at the same time. Cynder lost herself for a moment, just staring at the purple Dragon, until she felt something press against the side of her leg.

The black Dragoness thought nothing of it, thinking it was only Spyro's tail searching for a way to get her off, so she continued her assault against his side, making the moment as uncomfortable for Spyro as possible, until the pressure continued to build against the side of her leg.

"Spyro, you're not going to get me off, so you can stop trying to push me off with your tail."

Spyro thought of a way to get Cynder to leave him alone, but the only way he could think of was to hurt her. "I'm sorry Cynder."

Cynder looked at Spyro strangely. _Why would he be apologizing? He hasn't done any-_ Cynder felt an unnatural heat grow from underneath her paws. At first it was just annoying, but within a few seconds the heat became unbearable. Cynder let out a slight yelp at the increasing tempurtures, but leapt from her position away from Spyro, only to watch him scamper off through the entrance, saying nothing on the way out.

The black Dragoness tried to take off after Spyro, only to recoil off her burnt paws aching with contact from the cold floors. "Spyro, where are you going?" Cynder took a deep sigh, and eventually, sat on her haunches and licked at her burnt paws, cringing even as her tongue made contact with the injured scales.

The purple Dragon moved faster than he thought possible. His claws skidded against the hard marble flooring, leaving him to crash into the wall on more than one account. But as long as nobody saw him in his moment of shame, Spyro was happy.

Spyro continued to run toward his room, eventually reaching seclusion without anyone finding him. Although there was nothing he wanted more than Cynder, he was still unsure of her thoughts towards him. It was hard to think about. _Maybe she did it on purpose…_

Cynder gingerly got to her feet, and tried walking out of the training room, only to collapse on her third step. _Maybe he doesn't love me…Why else would he do that? _Cynder lay on the ground, keeping the underside of her paws from contact. _This is hopeless. _Cynder slowly unfurled her wings once more, and slowly lifted herself off the ground. The amount of strain put on her wings was great, but the pain was much less than it would have been were she to walk. Cynder had no clue on where Spyro had gone to, but she wanted to get off her feet, so the black Dragoness returned to her room.

Spyro lay on his bed, waiting for his member to back inside his body. _Did she see it? _The purple Dragon was trying to calm himself over the whole ordeal ever since entering the safeness of his room, yet as much as he wanted to hide the truth from Cynder, he wished there was another way. _I have to know if she's ok. _The purple Dragon slowly made it to his feet, checking to make sure he was covered again, and made his way out to try and find Cynder.

"I should've known better… Of course he doesn't like me…Why else would he force me to do this." Cynder was slowly making her way up the stairs heading towards her room. All she wanted to do now was sit down and rest her strained wings.

Cynder continued on despite the pain it caused her, knowing if she were to make any contact with the ground it would either be more painful, or less graceful than her reputation would allow. The black Dragoness found herself struggling up the final set of stairs that led to the living quarters, only to be confronted by Spyro.

The purple Dragon knew that Cynder was in pain at the moment, because he could see her eyes filled with pain and unsteady wing beats. "Cynder, I'm sorry… bu-"

The black Dragoness ignored Spyro and continued on her way, flying around the purple Dragon, Cynder headed down the corridor.

"I know I shouldn't have done what I did, and I'm sorry…But I-"

Cynder now had tears in her eyes, and despite the pain it caused her, she landed on the ground and turned to face Spyro. The pain in her feet adding to her already swollen eyes. "You what Spyro? Why did you do that? Never once did I attempt to hurt you!"

"Cynder, its not that…I-"

"You what Spyro? You didn't want me to be that close to you? Didn't want anyone to know I was lying on top of you?"

"No, I liked-"

"Just forget it Spyro… Forget that everything happened today." The black Dragoness turned and started limping down the corridor.

_I can't leave her like this. _Spyro jumped to Cynder's side, causing her to stop and look back at him. "Let me help you…"

Cynder knew there was only one option to Spyro's offer. She could accept his help no matter what happened, just to be closer to him for that extra moment or so that she could. Cynder didn't know how Spyro would help her, but would accept anything he offered.

Spyro assumed from Cynder's silence, and lack of movement, that he was to help her. Spyro moved closer to the black Dragoness, trying to think of the best way to carry her.

"You're going to have to lie on me again…" Spyro sunk low to the floor so that Cynder could step over him.

The black Dragoness slowly lifted herself over Spyro with her wings, and slowly started to sink into a comfortable position on the purple Dragons back.

Once Spyro felt he was holding her full weight, he slowly started to make his way down to Cynder's room. The black Dragoness held tightly against his sides, Which he almost expected as if to steady herself, but there was something about how she was holding him that made him feel uncomfortable. Cynder had placed both of her forelegs on each shoulder, but it wasn't along the top where she held him, but slightly on the side as if trying to feel each of his muscles work as he carried them down the hallway. Her hind legs, however, were place firmly on Spyro's back, trying to stay as far away from him as possible. But for what reason, he didn't know.

Cynder enjoyed the closeness to the purple Dragon, much like how she did after their little play fight. But soon enough, Spyro reached the entrance to Cynder's room, and knelt low to the ground, allowing Cynder to slide off his back and disappear into her rooms without saying a word.

Spyro turned away and headed back to his room, wanting nothing more than to rest after his first, in what he would love to be, many days alongside Cynder. Although he still didn't know how she felt about him, he could feel that there was something between them that only had more to go.


	3. Chapter 3 What I would do for You

Cynder woke the next morning to the sun beating down on her half-closed eyelids. The black Dragoness yawned expansively, before resting her head again on her soft bedding. Cynder couldn't stop thinking about Spyro, once more her dreams were filled with them both being together.

Both their heads darted from one side to the other, flying around in the sky as if searching for something. But when Spyro pointed towards a mountain with a cave opening on one side, Cynder followed the purple Dragon to the ground and into an unexpectedly large cave. Cynder glanced around, admiring Spyro's spotting techniques as it was almost concealed from the outside with undergrowth. Cynder looked at Spyro as he slowly neared closer to her.

"Are you sure about this, Cynder?" The purple Dragon stopped several feet from Cynder, just within reach if they extended their necks to each other.

The black Dragoness glance around the cave once more, finding that it matched every one of her guidelines. "I love it here, but there's only one thing missing Spyro."

The purple Dragon recoiled slightly at Cynder's comment, but Spyro kept his eyes on Cynder, knowing that there was something more than to it than just a simple answer. "Cynder, we've been together for a while now. Everyone thinks that we have mated already just because we spend all our time out here."

"That doesn't matter to me…But now we have somewhere to stay away from it all. Now there is only one thing I truly desire. And that is a family…"

Cynder opened her eyes once more. Her dreams felt so real, but she knew it was too good to be true. _Spyro doesn't love me…_ _He would have said so already if he did._ Cynder closed her eyes for a moment, wanting nothing more than to believe it wasn't true. Cynder slowly opened her eyes again, finding a Dragon-shaped shadow in her view, blocking the sun from her eyes.

The shadowed form continued to hover over the black Dragoness, inching closer to the curtained window. "Cynder, are you awake?" It was Spyro.

Cynder quickly jumped to her feet. _What is he doing here now?_ The black Dragoness tried to take a step forward, feeling the hard floor against her still injured paws. The stone caused her the same pain as yesterday, but when on her bed, no pain came through. "Y-yes, I'm awake… What are you doing Spyro?"

Spyro continued to hold his position outside Cynder's window. "Is it alright if I come in?"

Cynder quickly glanced around her room, It was clean, but not as clean as she would have liked if Spyro was to come in. Cynder braced herself, and walked towards the window. Each step felt like she was stepping on arrowheads, but Cynder held her face strong, not allowing anything as much as a grimace into her expression. When Cynder reached the window, she poked her head through the curtain, finding Spyro almost immediately on the other side. Both of their faces were within inches from each other before Spyro backed away from the window, giving them a few feet of space.

"You could have told me you were coming out." The purple Dragon steadied his position once more after the sudden shift of weight.

"Sorry Spyro… Why did you want to see me this early?"

"I'm not sure you accepted my apology yesterday. So I thought I could make it up to you today." That was another thing Cynder loved about Spyro. He always followed through with anything he was unsure of. But Cynder was just going to use it as an excuse to be close to him for another day.

Cynder stared passionately at Spyro, eventually unnerving the young Dragon into speaking again. "Are you going to come with me? Or do you want me to carry you again?" He said, gesturing out to the wilderness with his head.

"Oh yes…sorry Spyro…I'll be right out." Cynder ducked her head back beneath the curtain, watching as Spyro's shadow disappeared in the direction his room was situated in.

Cynder quickly darted around her room, cleaning up the rest of her possessions and putting them in their designated positions. The pain she once felt was gone completely, it was as if her paws had never been hurt at all. Cynder continued to clean up her room until another shadow appeared outside the window. But to Cynder, it seemed smaller than last time.

"Spyro, I'll be out in a minute, I'm coming…"

"I'm afraid you aren't going to spend the day with Spyro." Cynder was facing one of the walls upon hearing the strange voice. "Spyro will be mine. I mean, how could he even think about caring for you? You destroyed cities, killed hundreds, served the Dark Master…If you ask me, I wouldn't be surprised if he feels sorry enough just to talk to even talk to such a pathetic excuse of a Dragon!"

Cynder turned to face the window, anger rising almost to a new level. Only the smallest voice in her mind managed to keep her in position. "Get lost Ember! You don't know anything about me or Spyro! I love him more than you ever could!"

"Oh, really? Have you told him yet?" Ember continued to hold position outside Cynder's window. There was a long silence between the two. "You're too scared to tell him, you're afraid he'll say he love me, Which he does, by the way…"

That pushed Cynder over the edge, she wanted nothing more than to tear Ember's wings off and let her fall to the ground. Cynder leapt through the window, taking the curtain with her. A fierce growl escaped her throat as Cynder dove straight at the almost unsuspecting Ember, colliding as a giant ball of pink and black. Both Dragoness's clawed at each other, creating cuts and gashes that immediately started to release blood.

Neither Dragoness felt pain from the cuts, they were both too intent on killing each other rather than caring about their own well-being. Roars rang through the entire outside of the Dragon temple, sending many of the nearby birds flying no matter what they were doing. But both Cynder and Ember continued to attack each other.

Cynder turned to the other side of Ember, being able to see the Dragon Temple on the other side of Ember, but along with the temple, there was also Spyro. Cynder continued to dodge and give attacks to Ember, but knew only one way would end it with the result she wanted. Fighting the pink Dragoness was easy, she was much slower than Cynder. Many times she could have ended the pink Dragoness's life and took her place by Spyro's side, knowing he would grieve the loss of Ember, and probably never forgive her. She had only one option, and it was going to hurt, a lot.

Cynder ducked under Ember's paw, knowing full well that another was coming the other way straight at her. Cynder clenched her jaw, preparing for Ember's strike to slash her against the side of her face. And soon enough, it came.

The pain it caused the black Dragoness was tremendous. Although Ember was much slower, she still held a high amount of strength.

"Cynder!" She heard Spyro yell. He had seen Ember's strike, and feared for Cynder's life almost immediately.

As the black Dragoness fell lifelessly out of the sky, she could feel that she was gaining altitude at an alarming rate, and she would hit the ground soon if she didn't do anything. Cynder glanced back towards Spyro, seeing him speeding to her aid. Her plan had worked perfectly, but there was still one part she was dreading. The landing.

Cynder braced herself once more, knowing she wasn't going to feel good afterwards. She took one last look at the fast approaching ground, and took a deep breath. The black Dragoness prepared for impact, only to feel a strong grasp on her hind legs. Cynder took a glance up at her rescuer, seeing a flash of purple as the sun reflected off the Dragon's scales. "Spyro…" She knew there would be much explaining to do, but for now, all she had to do was recover.

Spyro turned in a wide arc, heading back towards the Dragon Temple. Ember was heading towards him, but Spyro only growled at the pink Dragoness as he passed her. Ember took a shocked expression, and continued on her way, planning on avoiding Spyro for a while. _The moment he leaves that…thing…Alone, he's mine._

Spyro flew towards his room, picking up the rest of Cynder's limp form so they would fit through the window. Spyro flew straight through his curtain, placing Cynder on his bed, lying the limp Dragoness on her back. Cynder groaned slightly in pain, She felt fine beside the blow Ember had on her head, Which helped her act injured, which she actually was. This was just a plan to get closer to Spyro.

"Stay still Cynder, don't move. I'll be right back." Spyro darted out of his room, leaving Cynder alone.

The black Dragoness couldn't believe what was happening. She was in Spyro's room. Not even she expected as much, but she knew the purple Dragon would be back soon so Cynder just stayed in her position, trying to gain a single thought in her jumbled mid. The blow from Ember was hard enough to send her into a spin, but the strong scent of Spyro sent her over the edge. The way Spyro had put her down left her in a position with her head on the bunched covers. Her nose was in ecstasy, each breath was filled with Spyro, but luckily enough for Cynder, her head was in too many places to tie everything together.

Several minutes of loneliness passed and Spyro burst into the room once more, carrying various rags and bandages. "Just hold still, Cynder, this is going to hurt a little…" Spyro reached over and picked up a bandage. "Ember got a few good scratches on your stomach and sides, there are also a few more on her tail, but your shackle deflected many more." Spyro examined the locked steel; it had many dents and Scratches in it, yet the lock still held strong around Cynder's tail.

Spyro place one end of the bandage on Cynder's stomach, and proceeded in lifting her up and wrap it around her midsection. It was a bit of work, but after several minutes, Spyro had used up the entire first bandage and clipped the two ends together.

Spyro looked over Cynder's form once more, she lay lifeless before him. Cynder was still conscious, but pain wracked her body as the fighting adrenaline removed itself from her system. Spyro stood still. Cynder's beauty had him frozen; he had noticed everything about her before, but only now did his thoughts turn to emotions and dreams.

Spyro had always liked Cynder, and over the past few weeks he had become attached to her despite their distance. Spyro had almost missed seeing Cynder for the two weeks after the battle against Malefor, but seeing the one he secretly love in such a sorry state caused him to change accordingly. He was sad because she was. Spyro walked around Cynder, passing over her tail as he stepped onto his bed. The purple Dragon looked over his handiwork deciding it was well enough to hold only the smallest of movements. But if it were up to him, Cynder wouldn't be going anywhere, anytime soon.

Spyro stopped his movement for a moment, glancing down at the rest of Cynder's uncovered form. He knew it was wrong, but the young Dragon couldn't help himself. Spyro had been taught about Mating but Ignitus on one of his rest days. It was something he considered important, as, by the lack of Dragon's numbers. And everything from that one day suddenly became clear in his mind. Spyro was staring at the base of Cynder's tail, her scales were hidden from the sun, leaving them dulled, but as he followed the outline of Cynder's scales, he caught a glimpse of her most vital organ. Spyro slowly continued his movement around Cynder, unable to remove his gaze. As the sun streamed passed Spyro, the black Dragoness glistened more than what he had normally seen, he was in a trance with his own mind, until he felt Cynder's tail brush up against his underbelly.

"Spyro…" Cynder whispered out. The purple Dragon quickly made it to her side, placing his head within view of the black Dragoness, allowing her to see him clearly.

"What is it Cynder?"

The black Dragoness blinked once, taking her time trying to find the right way to word her response. She was unaware that Spyro had been staring at her Womanhood only moments before. "I'm sorry for all this. I should have ignored Ember.

Spyro jerked his head away from beside Cynder's, only to slowly put it back down on the end of his bed. "It's okay, Cynder. I know that she's only jealous that I've been spending all my time with you." Spyro took a deep breath, trying to find the right way to word his response correctly. "But I love having time beside you Cynder. It's like I can really be myself around you. It's like you don't care what the Legends or the scriptures say, you treat me like a normal Dragon.

Cynder missed most of Spyro's words, the effects of Ember's attack taking its effect on the young Dragoness's mind. So all she heard was a group of jumbled words. "I Love…you Cynder. I… Care about… you.

"I love you too Spyro."

"What?"


	4. Chapter 4 I Love You

The purple Dragon recoiled his head from Cynder. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Cynder said she loved him, but something didn't seem right to Spyro. It was exactly what the purple Dragon wanted to hear from Cynder, it had been for the past fortnight, but Spyro knew the black Dragoness before him wasn't in her right of mind.

"Cynder, you need some rest. I think that knock to the head is affecting you a little too much." Spyro pulled himself away from Cynder's form, leaving her alone on his bed. "You just wait here; I'll go get us some breakfast."

Cynder tried to lift her head from Spyro's bed. She did mean to say that she loved him. Every last word of it. But what made her unsure was Spyro's reaction to it. She heard the purple Dragon admit to loving her, so why wouldn't he want her to say the same back? Cynder was lost within her own mind. Amongst the throbbing pain in her head, delightful scent of Spyro's bed, and constant arguing in her mind on whether or not it was the right thing to say. Cynder was mentally frozen. She heard that Spyro was leaving for a moment, but when he would be back was unknown to the black Dragoness. Cynder watched Spyro leave the room, leaving her to cope with the constant bliss and agony by herself.

Cynder closed her eyes right after Spyro left her view. Cynder ran their last conversation through her mind, wondering if she had missed anything after Spyro admitted to loving her. But Cynder could gather nothing more than what she heard. _I love… you Cynder...I… care about… you. _That was all she heard.

The black Dragoness lifted her head up from Spyro's bed, his scent still strong in the air around her, wanting to talk to the purple Dragon at the exact moment he arrived. She knew that he loved her, but the reaction to her admitting she loved him too received a less than welcoming response.

Many minutes passed, and Cynder held her head in the same levitate position, regardless of what her straining muscles said to her. But soon enough, the purple Dragon returned carrying two separate bowls containing what she could only guess was soup.

Cynder immediately dropped her head as Spyro entered the room, allowing her entire body to rest once more. She would wait until she had eaten before talking to Spyro about her love. She was feeling fine apart from the constant throbbing headache, but Spyro was none the wiser.

"Cynder, can you roll on your stomach to eat?" Spyro had placed both bowls on the ground, watching as the black Dragoness prodded her underbelly slightly with her arms, recoiling and wedging her eyes shut after every touch.

"No…" was her only answer.

"Then let me help you." Spyro picked up one of the bowls in his foreleg and slowly made his way to Cynder. The purple Dragon approached Cynder slowly and placed the edge of the bowl against her bottom jaw. "Carful, it's hot."

Cynder nodded slightly and opened he maw ajar, allowing Spyro to pour the warm liquid down her throat. It felt good to Cynder, for she hadn't eaten before bed yesterday night. And before she knew it the entire bowlful was empty.

Spyro pulled the empty bowl away from Cynder's face and placed it gently on the ground beside his bed. "I guess that you need this more than I do."

Cynder shook her head. "You have to eat something Spyro. I don't want any more."

The purple Dragon looked at Cynder for a moment, frozen with the bowl of soup between his paws. "Ok, Cynder, but if you want some more just ask." Spyro then placed the bowl on the ground by the side of his bed and began to lap up the liquid.

Cynder stared at Spyro the entire time, which slightly unnerved the purple Dragon, but it didn't stop him from eating. Cynder waited until Spyro finished until perusing him with her first mention of love.

During the entire time of Spyro eating, Cynder thought whether or not she should continue with her original plan of revealing her true feelings for Spyro, or continuing to live the lie that was. They had spent their first day together less than ten hours ago, yet Cynder felt that it was the right thing to do. Either that, or risk Ember taking Spyro from her despite her feigned attraction towards Flame. The black Dragoness had figured out it was a plan that just didn't work out. Which only wanted to make her drive to Spyro sooner. Which is what she decided on doing today.

Spyro finished his meal and stacked the bowls near the entryway, out of reach from the bed. Cynder continued to lay lifelessly on Spyro's bed, apart from her eyes darting from side to side, looking intently at whatever captured her attention. But for the most part, Spyro was the source of her attention.

Spyro walked around Cynder once more, this time purposefully averting his gaze from her until he was at her side. As Spyro knelt down on his bed beside Cynder, he felt her rub the edge of her bladed tail along his. It was a good feeling, one that he wouldn't allow to get the better of him, but Cynder was partially incapacitated, so he ran no risk if the worst was to happen, all he had to do was remain calm.

But then the thought came to him. He glanced down at Cynder, who gazed at him with a newfound interest._ What if what she said was true…?_ _What if she does love me?_ Spyro looked up and down the entire form of Cynder once more. "Cynder?"

The black Dragoness shuffled her neck around slightly, allowing herself to get a better look at the purple Dragon. "Yes, Spyro?"

"About what you said earlier…" Spyro looked straight into Cynder's eyes, he knew there was only one way to ask it. "Do you really, mean it?"

Cynder answered almost immediately. "Of course I do Spyro! Why else would I say it? I love you, I always have since the day you released me. From my torment."

Spyro was stunned. It was almost as if he could feel her love just by being in the same area next to her. It was everything he had always wanted, and all it took was three small words. "I love you too, Cynder." He paused a moment. His feelings were exactly the same. The moment he had freed her from the darkness was the moment he fell in love.

The two Dragons lay beside each other. Everything they had dreamt about, every feeling they had hidden from each other, every minute of wasted time together, all seemed to be worth it. All in that moment.

Both Spyro and Cynder stared into each others eyes. It was almost all they could do. Cynder was stuck in her position, blinded with pain from almost every movement, but she continued to rub her tail all up and down the length of Spyro's, which made the purple Dragon uneasy by his renewed attraction to the Dragoness lying before him.

Spyro looked back to where Cynder was stroking his tail, only to find Cynder had stopped completely. "Why did you stop?" Spyro looked back into Cynder's eyes. He enjoyed the contact between them, but now didn't care if he did enjoy it. Cynder loved him.

Cynder started stroking her tail against Spyro's again. "Sorry Spyro…I just can't believe this… all of this." Cynder reached down with one of her paws, trying to grab one of Spyro's. "You and me."

Spyro lifted up his right foreleg, grasping onto Cynder's instantly. The touch of her arm wrapping around his only heightened his feelings for the black Dragoness. Cynder craned her neck further to get a better view of her love. She had done it, her one dream of finally being in love with Spyro had come true.

Cynder continued to stare into Spyro's amethyst eyes as he slowly inched to her side, eventually lying completely against her. There was nothing between the two of them as Spyro rest his head down next to Cynder's, keeping their eyes glued to each other.

The two Dragons continued to stare at each other until there was a light knock at the door, just able to be heard above the two Dragon's deepened breathing. "Hey, Spyro! You in there?" It was Sparx.

Spyro instantly pulled from Cynder, but she understood exactly why he did. Sparx had been against Cynder's cause much like the other Dragons. He believe that she was still evil, still under control by Malefor, trying to gain the trust of the Guardians only to strike when they least expected it.

"Yes, Sparx, I'm here…" Spyro move away from Cynder, much to both of their dismay, but they had only just come together, and Sparx was one of the last people Spyro or Cynder wanted to know. "What is it?"

"I saw you running from the hall with two bowls and wondered what the hell you were up to. I called your name twice but you didn't hear me." There was a slight pause as Spyro tried to come up with an excuse that he could use. Until Sparx spoke again. "You sick or something?"

Spyro thought about the idea, and in the end it sounded like a fair excuse. He took a glance at Cynder who didn't care what he said, as long as Sparx would leave them alone. But he couldn't lie to his brother, even if it was to have more time alone with Cynder. Then Spyro thought. "No I'm fine Sparx…But could you come in here for a moment, I need your help with something."

Cynder, despite the fact that she couldn't move, wanted nothing more than to leave the room. She almost despised Sparx because of his clear mistrust of her. But if she was to stay as Spyro's love, there was no way around it. But Cynder wanted at least a few weeks with Spyro before she had to tell him. But if she stayed calm, nothing would go wrong.

Spyro opened the door for his much smaller brother, only to fly directly back out on the sight of Cynder. "What is that she-devil doing here? Spyro! Quick, run for your life!"

"Sparx! Calm down." Spyro knew that Cynder would take effect to Sparx's almost thoughtless words, but for now wanted them both at least try and get along. "Cynder's been injured in a fight against Ember, and I need you to heal her."

Sparx quickly flew back into the room, landing directly on the back of Spyro's head. Keeping as much of the purple Dragon between him and Cynder as possible. "No way am I going to heal that Murderer! Have you already forgotten the pain and suffering she brought on us?" Sparx was making Spyro's job much harder than it needed to be. His first comment was enough to make Cynder sad, but the little Dragonfly's continuous insults almost pushed Cynder to tears. But luckily for her, Cynder's face was hidden by her entire form.

"Sparx that's enough! What do you want me to do to get you to heal her?"

Sparx slowly crawled up to a higher point on Spyro's head, bracing himself between the purple Dragon's horns. "Is she asleep?"

"I told her to rest because of her injuries, as far as I know she is asleep right now."

Sparx slowly took a few steps forward, inching towards Cynder's still form. "Alright, fine…But you have to hold her arms, I'm not getting in harm's way just for you…"

"Good, because some of her injuries are a little serious."

Spyro cut along the entire side of the bandage, revealing the many deep wounds and gashes all along her stomach and sides. "Wow, Ember really did a number on her."

"Shut up Sparx. Just fix her up." Spyro pressed against Cynder's side, giving himself the most leverage over Cynder's limbs if she was to spring awake as Sparx assumed she would. Cynder felt Spyro against her side and smiled slightly as she felt the warmth of his body against hers.

Sparx started at one side of Cynder's body and slowly worked his way to the final cut. The job took a little longer than ten minutes. "Man, that'll really take the energy out of you… And you say Ember did this?"

Spyro nodded his head slowly. Watching as Sparx turned his back on Cynder to look at Spyro. "For some reason I find that hard to believe, but it's your story. How did this happen anyway?"

Cynder groaned slightly as Spyro had moved away from her side, which caused Sparx to shoot to the other side of the room. "She's waking up! Spyro, do something!"

"Do what Sparx? You healed her, for all you know she might say thank you."

"No way, I'm not going to believe you…Because as long as that devil-Dragon and you are in the same room, I'm going the other way!"

Cynder got to her feet, but sat down on Spyro's bed. Feeling her body like it was new. There were a few places that were still cramped, but they were all along where her wounds were.

"Sparx, calm down. Cynder isn't going to hurt you."

"No way man, I'm not going anywhere near that…_Thing_!" Sparx whizzed out of Spyro's room, saying nothing as he left the two Dragons alone together. Oblivious to their newly formed relationship.

"Cynder, I'm sorry for what he said about you. Sparx has always had a hard time adjusting to new things."

Cynder pressed herself against Spyro's side, enjoying the fact that she could now move freely around the one she loved. "Its okay, Spyro. I don't care what Sparx thinks. As long as I am by your side, I will always be happy."

Cynder gave Spyro a warm smile as she lay her head on the purple Dragon's shoulder. Wrapping one of her arms around the inside of his, "I love you Spyro."

"I love you Cynder."


	5. Chapter 5 What You Mean to Me

The two Dragons sat in the morning sunlight pressed against each other, Spyro could tell how much he meant to her even though they had seen each other for just over fifteen minutes. It was the way Cynder held herself against him, how she continued to rub her tail against his, trying to find a way around it, as if wanting to tie herself to him. The way she rested almost her entire body weight against him, Spyro could feel that he was the only thing that stopped Cynder from falling over in that one moment.

Spyro made it to his feet, and Cynder slowly detached herself from the purple Dragon, wanting nothing more than to stay glued to his side for the rest of their time. But both Spyro and Cynder knew it would be hard to tell the rest of the Dragons of their relationship. For not only was Cynder still ridiculed by other Dragons of being the Dark Master's slave, but almost every other Dragon in the temple fought to become Spyro's love. And the Dragoness's never knew when to quit, until Spyro himself made it clear that he wasn't interested in any that tried to gain his attention. Either by ignoring them for days on end, or just making some spectacular speech embarrassing whichever Dragoness it was directed to. Eventually Spyro became just like every other Dragon in the temple, everyone knew that he would make a choice, but in all their minds, he just wasn't ready yet. That was not true.

The purple Dragon had his mind set on Cynder during the final battle against Malefor. It was seeing his love pass out that gave him the strength he required to unleash his final assault on the psychotic Dragon.

Cynder eyed Spyro passionately for a moment. She was over her head at the moment. She had fallen in love with the purple Dragon ever since her release. And now he was finally her love. "Spyro, what is going to happen to us now?" The black Dragoness took a step away from Spyro, unaware that she was standing on his bed once more.

"I-I don't know Cynder. I don't know how the guardians will think of this. But they don't have to know anytime soon." Spyro watched as Cynder slid down on his bed, deep in thought at the time. "But I don't want to think about that, Despite what happened this morning, I still want to make up for what I did yesterday." Spyro made his way to the window, ignoring the torn curtain that lay on the floor underneath his paws. "But now I don't have to worry about your reaction."

Cynder tilted her head to the side upon hearing Spyro's statement. "You were going to tell me you lo-"

Spyro turned to face Cynder, knowing quite well what she was going to say. "I was… But then you fought against Ember and I had no choice. I was going to tell you, but I wanted it to be perfect." The purple Dragon turned back to the window, facing the outside world. "But if you want to stay inside the temple, I understand. There is one thing I have to fix up anyway."

"No…please. I want to know what you had planned today."

Spyro flashed a small grin. "Great, follow me…." Spyro launched himself out the window, wanting nothing more than to show Cynder what he had originally planned for the Dragoness , who almost immediately shot out the window, following Spyro into the wilderness away from the Dragon Temple.

Cynder followed Spyro for several moments as he casually flew over the dense forests of Avalar. The black Dragoness move up to his side so she could speak. "Where are we going?"

"I can't tell you, Cynder." Spyro spotted their destination in the distance. It was a mountain amongst the edge of the forest. Spyro lazily let his forelegs go limp. Feeling his casual changes in direction made him seemingly point down to whatever destination in their path. Spyro let his head hang Against his chest, wanting nothing more than to disturb Cynder as to their actual destination.

Cynder instantly found herself glancing down to whatever direction Spyro's paws were facing. Then it hit her. _I've seen this before. It…can't be…_

Spyro lifted his head from his chest, staring towards a large mountain which housed a large cave he had been working on since the early days of the war against Malefor.

\The two Dragons swooped down towards the cave, saying nothing to each other in the process. Cynder slowed as the entrance to the cave would not allow them both to enter at the same time. Giving Spyro enough room to pass through easily. Cynder slowed as she landed inside the cave, she saw Spyro facing her, eyes widened to an almost unnatural state.

Cynder tried her best to ignore Spyro's stare at her, examining every inch of the unnaturally large cave. "Spyro, why did you bring me here?"

"I haven't been here for years. I started it in the war against Malefor to get away from the world. I carved every inch of this cave." Spyro sat on his haunches, continuing to stare at the black Dragoness before him. "You are the only other Dragon that knows of this place. I used to come here when I needed some time to think." The purple Dragon paused for a second. "Either that, or practice my earth Element by removing bits of rock."

Cynder could do nothing but stand in awe of what Spyro had dug into the mountainside. The entrance was nothing larger than Spyro was now, but on the inside was enough room to easily hold a family of Dragons safe from the world. "How long did it take you to make this?"

"I can't remember. But I'm glad I did, because I've found myself here a lot recently, trying to escape the constant speeches of Dragonesses that want to be my mate." Spyro scoffed slightly at the thought. "But its always seemed emptier ever since the war. There has always been someone wanting my help or something needing assistance. But now that the war's over, I have nothing to do. No part of my life takes up more than half the day. But that's why I came here. To escape the world and and enjoy the silence of peace."

"Why were you hiding in here when people needed assistance?"

"Because I'm tired of being the savior. I hate being the 'Purple Dragon of Legend'. Everyone wants you to do something for them. I admit it nice being the 'one and only' for hundreds of years, but most of the time I just got sick of it. Bringing myself to tend to every sing persons deeds constantly gave me no time for myself. That's why I came here. I could hear their calls, and I knew exactly what they wanted. There were some times when I thought I was all their was. I was the only hope. Like I was alone in the world with no help coming. Then I found you."

Cynder got up from her seated position. "W-why me?"

"Because there was something different about you Cynder. I knew from the moment I met you that you were different. Most of the time I never understood why I had that feeling. But now I do. You understand that I am different from the rest of the world, that I have my own feelings and opinions. It was like you knew I didn't want any of this, and accepted me just as any other Dragon in the world. That's one of the reasons I fell in love with you." Spyro let his head hang limp, almost grazing his nose against the stone floor in the process. "And that is why I have brought you here. I wanted to share that piece of my life with you. And what this means to me. To some, it might just be a hole in the side of the mountain. But to me, it's my escape from the world, where I am no better than any other being in Avalar" Spyro lifted himself from the ground. "Where I can be with nothing but myself. But now that you are her, I feel it could be something more."

"Spyro, I never knew you felt that way."

"There is much about me that you do not know. But hopefully in the future you will learn everything.

Spyro padded closer to Cynder, who continued to scan around the cave. "Spyro…" The black Dragoness stared out through the small hole that was the entrance. "This place is almost large enough to raise a family."

"That was my original plan. I spent so much time in here that I planned for the future. I knew the war wouldn't last forever. But ever if I was to fall, then another Dragon would come across this place and call it home.

"Don't speak like that Spyro. You can never die, you're not supposed to until the change of generations." Cynder looked back down at the purple Dragon who continued to eye her lovingly.

"And this isn't a change of generations Cynder? Look around you. WE are the next generation, but with so few of us it will be a long time until Dragons reach their peak again." Spyro had reached Cynder's side, and proceeded to rub his side against her, eventually turning around until their heads were together.

"There is only one way to do that Spyro…"

"It is too soon Cynder, surly you know that. We have just reached the age that we can mate and conceive, but I do not want a child yet. I need some time to enjoy a free life. To have nothing to do all day but enjoy life. That is what I have dreamt since before I can remember.

Cynder sighed slightly, but the whole situation seemed strange to her. Spyro, the purple Dragon of Legend, has admitted to loving her. And continued to share pieces of his life with her, including a space large enough to bear children when the time comes. ""Spyro, why are you telling me this? What is the real reason you showed me this place?"

"Because I love you Cynder." Spyro answered back almost immediately.

Cynder almost couldn't believe her ears once more. _Is this a dream? _She continued to ask herself.

Before Cynder could come up with a response, Spyro continued, "And I would love nothing else than to have hatchlings, to raise a family with you. But as much as I want to do that, I need some time to enjoy life. Some time to sit back and watch the world go by." Spyro stepped before Cynder and continued to stare into her eyes.

_This cannot be happening…_ Cynder picked up one of her forelegs and placed it against Spyro's bottom jaw. He rubbed down onto her paw, almost losing himself just from contact. Only to quickly pull his head back, staring at Cynder, putting on a serious face once more.

"Cynder, can you wait a time until I know that were ready?"

"I know that it is too soon for us, Spyro, I just can't believe that you would make something like this, on nothing but the hope that all will go well…But yes, I could wait forever if that is what you want."

"Forever is a bit much, but thank you anyway." Spyro took a small step towards Cynder, leaving their faces only inches apart.

Both Dragons stayed there for a moment, Spyro almost lost himself from the increased scent of Cynder being so close to him. But the purple dragon stayed in control of his actions. Cynder, on the other hand, could not.

Before Spyro could think of anything past Cynder, Spyro felt Cynder press her maw against Spyro's for a moment, only to recoil back several feet, almost embarrassed by her action towards her new love.

Cynder immediately turned her head, and hid it beneath one of her wings. "I'm sorry Spyro, I don't know what came over me… I couldn't control myself, I-I… knew what was going to happen, but…" She continued to hide her face from Spyro, but he wondered why she was acting so strangely about it.

"Cynder.." He cooed gently, causing Cynder to slow her thoughts. "It is nothing to be worried about…In fact, I rather liked it." The black dragoness removed her head from hiding to view Spyro with an almost begging look upon his face. "Why are you ashamed of that?"

"I don't know… I'm not used to this…This…Us, all of it! I can-"

"And you think I am? Cynder, you know that I have had no time in my life to enjoy something that took less than a second. That one moment was more enjoyable than most of my life has ever been…" Spyro started on his way to move closer to Cynder once more. The black Dragoness had moved into the only ray of light into the cave, which gave her an almost goddess-like appearance. "I may not be ready to have a family, but that doesn't mean I want nothing to do with you until then."

Spyro moved into the single stream of light, placing both Dragons in the light against each other. "I can't believe it…" Cynder said softly, so that not even she could hear it.

Again, there were only inches between the two Dragons as they both stood in the bright mid-morning light, sending hundreds of specks of light dancing around the cavern. But Spyro was focused on the Dragoness before him. For the first time, it was he who created contact between them.

Spyro stepped closer to Cynder again, pressing his body against her, feeling the warmth from her body against his. Spyro sat on the ground beside Cynder as she did the same, leaving their maws pressed against each other. Spyro felt the deep feeling swell up inside him again, he knew exactly what was coming, but he also knew that if he stayed on the ground nothing could go wrong. Cynder continued to try and press herself against Spyro, wanting nothing more than to connect their love in almost every way. But as the two Dragons continued to break apart and reconnect with the others maw, they were both lost within their own mind.

Cynder flicked her tongue out, brushing up against the outside of Spyro's lips a few times, but after her third brush against him, she found that his tongue had joined hers between them.

Spyro pressed his maw into Cynder's with an almost renewed vigor, knowing if given the chance, she would mate him right then. But as Spyro felt Cynder push back against him and felt her tongue dance around between their maws, he also felt the similar pulsating feeling that his member had attained.

Regretfully, Spyro pulled his maw away from Cynder's. Knowing that despite his vow to wait until it felt right, he would have lost control of himself in a few short moments if they were to continue their passion.

"That was…Incredible…" Cynder mumbled out softly, "I Love you Spyro."

Spyro smiled and laid down with her again. "I Love you Cynder."


	6. Chapter 6 Revenge in Mind

Both Dragons stared into each other's eyes, wanting nothing more than to enjoy the moment they held together. Spyro padded beside Cynder, basking in the spotlight of sun that illuminated the cavern. "There is still much of the day before us Cynder…" Spyro started, placing his head atop Cynder's shoulder. "We should be getting back to the temple."

Cynder growled pleasingly at Spyro, the vibrations from her throat shifting her entire form in the process. "Can't we just stay here all day?"

"Although many will resent us Cynder, there are some I must tell." Spyro regretfully pulled himself up against Cynder's form, and motioned with his head for Cynder to leave first. "After you." Cynder unfurled her wings and left Spyro on the ground, shooting through the small entryway within moments of leaving the ground. Spyro was quick to fly beside Cynder and slow at her side.

"So, who do you want to know about us?" Cynder asked worriedly. There were many Dragons that lived within the temple, but only a few she would agree to telling.

"I don't want many to know about us…yet…But at the moment only the Guardians should know of our choices. But even some of them I would rather not inform."

Cynder let out a subtle sigh at the thought of Cyril learning of their connection together. The Ice Guardian was infamous for his ability to reason beyond many other's mind capacity. But despite his open mind, Cynder assumed that he would still hold some doubt as to her position among their ranks. The only Guardian that believed Cynder was completely harmless to them was Volteer. The electric Dragon knew much of the Dark Master's power, and understood that Cynder couldn't be changed back to her destructive way unless Malefor was brought back to the Realm. The black Dragoness looked over the dense landscape below her, wanting nothing more than to turn back with Spyro and spend more time alone in the hollowed-out cavern that Spyro had created.

The Dragon Temple came into view after several minutes of silent flying, but Spyro held his steady pace beside Cynder, regularly glancing back at her for only split-seconds, but it was that brief moments that he wished longer a lifetime. As they drew closer, Spyro angled towards his window, spending little time out in the wilderness alone with Cynder.

Spyro continued his examination of the area surrounding the two Dragons as they continued their flight towards the Dragon Temple. But something caught the purple Dragon's eye. It was a bright sparkle in the corner of his right peripheral. Spyro quickly shot his head in that direction, finding nothing but continued forest. Spyro let out a sigh, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him, so he focused back on the task at hand, traveling towards the Dragon Temple, while slowly inching closer to Cynder in the process.

There was another reflection that caught his eye, in the exact same position as before, but this time Spyro could make out a color. It was pink. _Ember._

"Spyro?" Cynder turned her head to look at the purple Dragon, wondering why he had continued to look off into the distance.

"Cynder, go back to the temple. I will talk to you later…Ember is over ther and I don't want her to know about us…"

"What if I do?"

"Last time you two were near each other you ended up almost without a life, and if I wasn't there you would have died afterwards. I'm not going to run that risk again!" Spyro banked off towards what he assumed was Ember's position.

"Spyro, wait! I need to talk to Ember too, and you'll be beside me the whole time, so you have nothing to worry about."

Spyro growled inwardly at Cynder's comment, but wasn't going to argue with her. "Ok, fine. But stay behind me. I don't want you to het hurt, and I don't think Sparx will want to come anywhere near you for awhile, You gave him quite the scare last time."

Cynder chuckled lightly, realizing that it was almost the first time in which she ever had in her entire life. But she knew that there were many moments to come as long as Spyro remained at her side.

"Just stay behind me." Spyro flew towards Ember and landed a hundred feet from her position, quickly followed by Cynder who stuck to Spyro's tail as if she was enticed by its every motion, which in turn, the black Dragoness was.

There was a loud roar that sent shiver down Spyro's spine. Ember was anything but content over her last contact with the purple Dragon. The two Dragons continued to pace closer towards Ember's location. "Don't say anything to Ember; she is my problem, not yours." Cynder nodded slightly when Spyro glanced back at her.

The purple Dragon pressed on through the dense forest, eventually reaching a small clearing, with Ember laying on a stone centered atop the ridge. "Spyro!" Ember cried out upon first sight of the purple Dragon, but she failed to notice Cynder directly behind him. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you Ember, as much as I don't want to, There is something you have to know."

Ember got up from her laying position and gazed at Spyro with almost all of her attention, still obvious that Cynder was trailing behind him, completely hidden from view from her heightened position. "W-what is it Spyro?"

"Ember, I know that you want nothing more than to call me your own, but you can never understand me when I say it. So, "I'll tell you once more. Leave me alone, I Don't Love You!"

"B-but Spyro, we've been together for years. We fought alongside each other for years against Malefor. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"It means _Nothing _to me Ember. We may have fought beside each other, but that was purly diplomatic. I only consider you as a friend, nothing more." Spyro turned and headed back down he hill, revealing Cynder in the process.

"You! You took him away from me!" Ember shot up from her position and jumped down from the stone, growling heavily in the process. "I should've known Spyro had a soft spot for you, otherwise he would've let you die after I beat you this morning!" Spyro continued on his way, pushing Cynder before him, not wanting to create another fight. "Coward, Cynder! You don't deserve to be with Spyro! You don't even deserve to be alive right now!"

"Just keep going Cynder, Ignore." Spyro whispered quietly to Cynder, pushing her forward with the side of his head against her head.

"Cynder! I should have killed you when I had the Chance! But it wont take me long to catch you alone, Spyro can't protect you forever! One day, I'll have my revenge!"

Cynder stopped mid-stride. She knew that Ember wasn't going to go back on her word, but knew if Ember thought she could win, it would do wonders for her confidence. And Cynder wasn't about to let the threat go unanswered.

"Cynder, lets go. I will never leave you," Spyro prodded at her side, trying to keep Cynder going away from Ember.

"This is my fight now, Spyro. Ember needs to learn a thing or two about me." Cynder took a step away from Spyro, and faced the pink Dragoness standing at the top of the hill.

"Be careful, Cynder. I am here if you need me." Spyro turned to face Ember, but held his gaze, intent, on his love,

"So, the Mighty black Dragon decided to face the music once more…" Ember mocked while slowly stepping her way down the hillside. "This is going to be 'fun'."

"Not nearly as much fun as it will be for me." Cynder padded foreword, holding her head high to try and make level ground with Ember. As the two Dragonesses came within striking Distance of each other, the fight began.

Cynder leapt to her hind legs and quickly grabbed Ember's forelegs with her own. "This is almost too easy," Ember mocked, lowering her head to ram her horns into Cynder.

Cynder ducked her head and avoided Ember's attack, flicking her into the air using the pink Dragoness's own momentum against her. Cynder flew quickly after Ember, taking the fight to the air once more, starting the continuous flail of claws and teeth that was their flight from the morning.

Spyro kept a ready stance. He wanted to leave Ember alone and keep Cynder safe from the world, but all she wanted was revenge.

Cynder slashed her claws across Ember's back, releasing a roar of pain from the pink Dragoness, only to be struck in the chest by another swipe from Cynder. Blood seeped out over Ember's wounds, covering her pink scales with the warm crimson liquid.

Ember felt her strength weakening. The wounds from their morning bout still fresh in her form. Cynder held every advantage, and was holding nothing back against the pink Dragoness. Revenge was the only thing in Cynder's mind, and there was nothing to stop her.

Spyro watched as a drop of blood landed on the edge of his snout. He snapped out of his trance and inspected it for a moment. After finding it wasn't Cynder's he quickly wiped it off. He did worry for Ember' well-being, but Cynder was where his heart lay.

Cynder continued to dominate the slowing Pink Dragoness, leaving cuts and gashes across her entire form. It was not long until Ember lost all strength, plummeting to the ground as Cynder released her limp form.

Spyro leapt into the air to catch ember and place her on the stone where she once sat. "I can't let her die, Cynder. As much as you may not like it, we need Ember to help our race."

Cynder lazily fell to the ground with a slight thud, waiting for Spyro to leave ember on the stone in the center of the clearing. "Who are you going to tell about her location?"

"I think Flame would want to know most. I think Ember owes him an apology after what she did to him." Spyro left Ember's limp form on the stone and padded back to Cynder, who was cleaning the blood off her talons and body. "Let me help you." Spyro padded over to Cynder and licked the top of her head and neck, the two places unreachable to her.

"You didn't have to do that Spyro." Cynder had stopped completely as Spyro licked her. She had cleaned he entire chest, and Spyro continued to clean her.

"What if I wanted to?"

Both Dragons laughed softly before leaving the clearing. Spyro didn't worry about Ember's health, as Cynder had not given her any life-threatening injuries. But it was just enough to make her pass out. But Ember needed to be taught a lesson, and Spyro knew that one of hem would have to do it.

"Do you know if Flame would ever forgive Ember after what she did to him?" Cynder asked as they took to the air once more.

"He loves her, and I know it. But it might take awhile for Ember to figure that out. You did give her quite a shot to the head.

"I only wanted her to feel what I did. Call it revenge if you will, but I was not about to let her think that I needed you to defend me."

"I wouldn't let her harm you anyway Cynder. If she did, I don't know what would have happened."  
The two Dragons continued on their way to the Dragon Temple, landing in the main foyer, and instantly finding Flame collapsed in a corner, a curled up mass of red scales. Spyro quickly wave Cynder off towards the bedrooms, wanting to talk to Flame alone for a moment. Although Cynder hesitated for a moment, she knew Spyro meant well. "I will see you in a while…" He cooed softly. "I Love you Cynder."

"I Love you Spyro." Cynder quickly disappeared down a corridor. Spyro didn't turn a way until she was hidden from view, but then promptly turned to face Flame.

"Flame? What's wrong?" Spyro padded closer to the red Dragon, he seemed distressed, and Spyro could only guess why.

"Its Ember…All she ever wanted was you!" Flame kept his head buried underneath his wings, muffling every word. "I should've known better than to let myself fall for her actions. It was too good to be true."

"Flame, stop thinking like that. Because Ember needs you right now."

"Did she tell you that?"

"No, she is injured in the forest. Unconscious in a clearing. She will need your help when she wakes up, but for now is stuck alone out there.  
"

Flame picked his head up from underneath his wing. "What happened to her?"

"Ember and Cynder got into a fight, and I refuse to help her. You are the only one who knows where she is right now, that should give you some time alone with her."

"What's the use? Ember only likes you, even then it is only because of your color."

"Flame, Ember knows that I don't love her back. I never have, but it has only become clear to her now. But I suppose you should know who it is now. I Love Cynder."

Flame quickly jumped to his feet. Struggling to keep his voice down in the process. "Are you nuts?! Do you know how many Dragons will resent her as your love?"

"Yes, but I don't care. If they can't accept my choice then I will leave with her, no matter what. I have planned for every possible reaction, but I need you to accept my choice no matter what."

Flame stepped back from Spyro, pressing himself against the wall. "I-Yo-" Flame continued to think the scenario through. "But…Why Cynder?"

"There is something about her that makes me feel like everyone else. She accepts me for who I am, ot the color of my Scales."

"This is your choice Spyro," Flame started, slowly pacing past the purple Dragon and heading towards the exit to the Dragon Temple. "I have nothing against your decision, and I hope that you and Cynder have a wonderful life together." The red Dragon turned away to take flight, but turned his head back to glance at Spyro once more. "If only Ember could accept others for who they are."

"We can only hope." Spyro said in reply, promptly nodding Flame off as he floated high above the dense jungle of Avalar in search of the battered pink Dragoness. "Good luck flame. I only wish that Ember sees what is before her." Spyro muttered quietly to himself.

The purple Dragon turned in the direction his quarters were situated in, knowing that Cynder would be awaiting his arrival. But what she may have planned for Spyro, only Cynder knew.


	7. Chapter 7 First for Everything

Spyro clicked his way down the many corridors towards his quarters, passing few on his way. But the small group that he did pass seemed to take almost no notice of him. It was almost as if the group of female Dragons had finally accepted his challenges against them and their attempts to become his mate. But Spyro could really care less, he had already chosen a mate, they just didn't know it yet.

It took several minutes, but eventually the purple Dragon reached his room, but, to his surprise, Cynder wasn't standing outside waiting for him. It was a quick thought, but he shook it off nonetheless. After all, it would look pretty strange if Cynder was just standing outside his room for no reason. Spyro clicked open his door and stepped inside, examining the mess that was his room.

His bed was a mess, the sheets were bunched up at one end of the bed, the floor was covered in small items, most notably small pieces of torn curtain that covered his smallish home.

"I really need to clean this up…" Spyro said to himself quietly, but quickly remembered why he had come up to his room in the first place. "But where is Cynder?" Spyro immediately turned out of his room and continued on his way down the long corridor towards Cynder's quarters. "I really wish she had picked a closer room…" The long journey down the hallway towards Cynder's room was to say the least. He didn't blame Cynder for choosing an 'out of the way' location.

Upon reaching Cynder's room, Spyro quietly tapped on the outside of the door. "Cyn? Are you in there?" He asked, hoping the black Dragoness would respond.

There was a slight cluttering sound that emerged from inside the room before a reply came. "Y-yes Spyro. I'll be out in a minute…" Her voice seemed slightly off pitch from usual.

"May I come in?" Spyro quickly responded as the strange sounds continued to escape from inside.

"No, I'll be out in a minute…" The black Dragoness's voice was quick to rely, forcing Spyro into a corner with options on the situation, in a way.

"If you don't want to come with me when I tell the Guardians, it ok…"

"It's not that…" Cynder added quickly.

"What are you doing in there anyway?" Spyro paused for a moment, getting no answer in reply. "Cyn?"

"Why are you calling me that?" The question struck a cord inside Spyro's mid. He had never said it before, or at least he couldn't recall that anyway. But either way, the question worked for Cynder in buying the time she wanted. Appearing moments later, Cynder promptly shut the doo behind her, revealing nothing of her room to the purple male standing before her. "Well? Since when have you called me Cyn?"

"I don't know, I guess only just then… Why? Don't you like it?"

"No… It's…Nice." Cynder wrapped her tail around Spyro's. "Come on, don't you want to tell the guardians about us?" The black Dragoness motioned with her head to move down the seemingly endless hallway, trying her best to keep Spyro's mind off what she was doing. Although she was only placing her things in a small place, on the off chance that Spyro wanted her to join him that night.

"Yes, I do… But we have to think about this for a moment, I think that the others will notice if you have your tail around mine." The purple Dragon quickly glance back at his, and her, hind sections. They both seemed glued against each other for some reason.

"Sorry," The black Dragoness immediately released Spyro's tail, allowing air once again between the two. "I think that I could be able to permanently walk around like that though." She said with a slight giggle.

Spyro joined Cynder in a short laugh, knowing on the inside that he would love to live like that too but, somehow, in time it would eventually get that way. "Come on, we don't have all day to do this. I know that there will be more than a few comments brought up about us when we arrive, so I want some free time by the end of the day." Spyro said as another half joke.

"Spyro, all we have nowadays is time, how much more could you want?" Cynder asked, bounding along to catch up with Spyro.

"I could always have more time alone with you…" He said with his head turned back to face hers.

Spyro's sudden move took Cynder by surprise, but as their last encounter at being that close had ended up with their lips locked together, Cynder was wary about the situation. Not wanting to bring attention upon them at such a time, the black dragoness quickly glance around, after she believed the area was clear, leaned over and gave Spyro a quick peck on the cheek.

"We have to get going…" She said quickly, noticing that Spyro's facial color had visibly deepened. But her face would've deepened too if it wasn't for her black color. Her embarrassment was strong at the moment, but thankfully the only way to tell was through body language and voice volume.

The purple Dragon looked straight down the corridor, using all of his willpower to remain calm and in control of his emotions. There was nothing more he wanted than to call Cynder his own in that moment, but he knew there would be problems that arose if that were to ever be the case anytime soon. Sure, Spyro was overjoyed to have Cynder at his side, so was Cynder to have him. But to take it that step further would mean everything to him. But they had only been together a couple of hours at most, but that wouldn't change Spyro's action if given the opportunity.

You're right…" Spyro quickly forced himself to say. "We should get going now."

Cynder laughed softly at Spyro's quick spoken words. The purple Dragons almost shaking voice only made his embarrassment all the more amusing, but Cynder couldn't be one to point and laugh, as she was at the same level that he was.

The two walked close by, but left enough space to prove that nothing was going on if others were to look. The small group of female Dragons Spyro had spotted on his way up had moved, much to his delight, and so they continued without interruption deeper into the temple, heading to the staircase up towards the pool of visions. As that was where the Guardians had spent most of their time. For if they weren't lecturing the younger Dragons on abilities or to break up a fight that would emerge throughout the ranks.

It took several minutes for both Dragons to reach the pool, and luckily to them the halls were deserted. So with every clear passageway, Cynder would inch closer to Spyro, until they reached the pool itself. Which, to Spyro's luck, was where the three remaining Guardians were found.

"Ah, Spyro. Good to see you again."Cyril was the first to speak up, for being head of the Guardians after Ignitus had passed. The two remaining Guardians turned around as Cyril spoke up too.

Volteer quickly added. "Why, Cynder. I haven't seen you since the day you arrived. What brings you both here?"

"Actually, we both came here for the same reason rally…" Spyro said first, sitting on his haunches beside Cynder. "It's actually something important."

"Well, don't hold it from us Spyro. What news do you have?" The Ice Guardian spoke up, moving in line with the other two.

Cynder inched closer to Spyro once more. She barely knew the Guardians, so she would leave the talking to Spyro.

"Umm, well… You see…" Spyro stammered, feeling Cynder's tail wrap around his, out of view from the Guardians.

"Out with it Spyro, how bad could it be?" Terrador finally spoke up, causing Cynder to inch closer to Spyro once more. "Are you two cold or something?"

"I think, that's the reason why he came…" Volteer said once more, noticing Cynder start to press against Spyro. "It is exactly as the pool showed us."

The purple Dragon stood up quickly, inadvertently sending Cynder away from him. "What are you talking about?"

"Spyro, it is nothing to be worried about. In fact, I knew the reason you came the moment I saw Cynder beside you." The electric Guardian spoke again.

"So, you know about us?"

"Yes, Spyro, we do… And we couldn't be happier for you and Cynder. Although I'm not sure what the others will make of this." Cyril said again, allowing Spyro to breathe easier.

"So far Flame and Ember know others who know about us" Spyro replied quickly as Cynder stepped to his side again. "But at the moment Flame is tending to Ember out in the forest."

"We saw the fight you two had this morning-"

"you did? Then why didn't you stop it?" Cynder spoke up, interrupting the Ice Guardian.

"That, Cynder, is a result of what Spyro wanted for us to do." Cyril said with what almost seemed to be regret. "But because we owe our lives to him, we agreed to leave everything about it alone. Although it has left many injured in the process."

"Spyro? What did you do?" Cynder asked, why he would rule out the Guardians from breaking up fights within the temple.

"I didn't want the other Guardians to waste their time on trying to stop others from fighting over me." He said, almost embarrassed that he was referring to himself over the argument. "I knew that it was going to happen, and I was right. So I almost forbid the Guardians to step in and break up a fight over me." Spyro paused for a moment, as Cynder understood exactly why Spyro had put the rule in place. The entire female Dragon population, as small as it may have been, had been at each other's throats for as long as she could remember. "You've seen them, haven't you? Every single one of them has some form of wound brought on by themselves over something as stupid as who their mate would be! Do you know how hard it is to be the one everyone wants a piece of?" The purple Dragon turned around to face Cynder as his voice almost reached shouting level.

"No, I don't! But maybe I would like that kind of attention sometime! Cynder shouted back at Spyro.

"It's terrible! Everyone's watching you, everyone knows where you are or what you're doing! Have you lived a moment with a constant shadow of other Dragons behind you?"

"I haven't ok!" Cynder turned away from Spyro. "But that doesn't mean that I would like to experience something like that. The feeling of being wanted, sought after, to have others wish that you existed…"

"Cynder, don't say that." Spyro walked back to the Dragoness's side, almost immediately from anger to sorrow in less than an instant.

"What difference does it make? Maybe I should just go, the others deserve you more than I do…" Cynder started walking towards the exit as Spyro jumped over and landed before the exit.

"But that's it, they don't… The others constantly fought day and night, just to be at my side, just like you are now. That's why I chose you over them."

"Why? Because I was one of the ones that knew it was never going to happen…" Cynder said with her face pointing the floor.

"No, you were the only one that wasn't fighting. You were the only one that seemed to detest the whole Idea. That's why I chose you over the others. I don't care if you won a fight… I Love you for who you are." Spyro paused for a moment to walk forwards to Cynder's side. "But you should know that by now." Spyro rubbed the side of his head against hers.

"Do you remember the last time you saw something like that?" Both Spyro and Cynder overheard Terrador behind them.

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" Cyril was the first to reply.

Spyro pulled himself away from Cynder for a moment, stepping towards the guardians. "This wouldn't have happened if you didn't say anything…"

"Spyro, this is nothing to be worried about. It happens all the time between Dragon couples." Volteer said quickly. "But sometimes arguments are all that you need. Although you might have missed it, you said it yourself, the exact reason you wanted to be with Cynder. Ask her for yourself, it's something that she needed to hear."

"What?" Spyro turned around only to nudge his head against Cynder's.

"You said it yourself Spyro."

"What did I say?"

"Only what was exactly right." Cynder whispered into his ear and rubbed against Spyro's side once more and linked the other end of her tail with his.

"Alright, now that's settled, Spyro, do you have any more news for us?" Cyril spoke once more. The purple Dragon was clearly distracted, missing everything the Ice Guardian had said. "Spyro!"

"Y-yes, Cyril?" He quickly stammered.

A loud sigh emanated from the Ice Guardian. "You can go now." The two smaller Dragons almost immediately turned around and bounded out the door together.

"Those two have a long future ahead of them. If only they knew…"  
"Knew what Volteer?" Terrador said, almost knowing the answer that was sure to follow.

"If only they knew what lay ahead of them, there is much in both their futures… But they get to enjoy themselves for a while…At least."


	8. Chapter 8 Away from the World

As the two Dragons walked side-by side down the corridor, Spyro and Cynder almost didn't care if others were able to see them. They were both overjoyed with their world and how everything had turned out for them. For Cynder it was her one true dream to be with Spyro, and although she had fantasized such an event, in her mind, it never truly felt this good. He had admitted to loving her without even realizing it, which, for some reason, made it seem all the more special to Cynder. But he had said it before, when they were in Spyro's own hand made cave he admitted to it, but having him say it without even knowing meant something special to the black Dragoness.

Spyro seemed to direct Cynder back through the corridors that they had just travelled down to reach the pool of visions, leading them back to their own respective quarters. But as the two Dragons reached the doorway to Spyro's room, that was when the purple Dragon was lost within himself.

_Should I ask her in? What if she says no if I ask? _Spyro glanced around the long hallway, looking at anything but the young Dragoness before him, which only made his indecision all the more obvious.

"Spyro, we still have half the day left," Cynder said after a few moments of silence. "What are we doing back here?"

The purple Dragon suddenly found his train of thought and refocused back on Cynder. "I don't know, we just started walking and ended up here…"

"Right…" Cynder said in disbelief. Although she wouldn't have wanted anything more than to be alone with Spyro, shut off from the world. "Well?"

"Well what?" Spyro asked in a half serious tone.

Cynder chuckled slightly at the purple Dragon's inability to stay on one subject. "Well," the black Dragoness tilted her head slightly and brushed her head against Spyro. "Are we going to do anything?"

Spyro simply returned her affection with one of his own and turned back towards the main part of the temple. _There must be something to do around here…_ The purple Dragon thought to himself, wanting to get out of the situation as soon as possible. "But for now, I'm hungry… Do you want to get some lunch?"

Cynder turned with Spyro hesitantly, she wanted to be alone with Spyro, regardless of how long they had been together. She knew that everything was right, that he wouldn't change anything given the chance. But Spyro had said it himself, he wasn't just ready yet. He wanted to have some time of freedom before becoming a father. Cynder wasn't looking forward to having offspring yet either, but she wanted to have Spyro as her own. She didn't care if she fell gravid and had to lay an egg, Cynder just wanted Spyro.

"That would be nice." Cynder said with a sigh.

Spyro then realized what she wanted, then the purple Dragon thought about it himself, realizing that his own words stood between them. He shook off the thought quickly, knowing that each second he dwelled on it would only make it harder to follow his words. It was then that Spyro wrapped his tail around Cynder's, and started walking down the corridor.

_I have to try harder. He didn't even realize what I meant!_ Cynder shouted inwardly at herself. _There must be something I can do to get his attention._ Cynder then remembered her action from before they left for the pool of visions. The black Dragoness held against Spyro and this time licked his cheek slightly, which was more than enough to get a reaction.

Spyro stopped in his tracks and searched both ends of the corridor, unfortunately for him, the purple Dragon heard another Dragon coming from the path before them. Immediately causing Spyro to step away from Cynder and seal all emotions within him.

Approaching around the corner were two Dragons that looked like they were together, much like Spyro and Cynder were, but these two were able to show the world about their relationship.

One of the approaching Dragons had very bright scales, almost white, but as it approached Spyro and Cynder, a slight yellow tint became visible. Four horns sat at the base of the Dragon's skull with a slight kin angling out at some points, almost like lightning bolts would arc out at the ground. As the electric Dragon approached, it became clear that he was a male Dragon.

To his left was a near fluorescent red Dragoness with two spiraling horns that almost met near the top of her head. The red Dragoness was held close against the male, much like how Spyro and Cynder were moments ago, but upon noticing the purple Dragon, the unknown couple seemed interested in meeting Spyro, just for the fact that he was the savior.

"He, Spyro!" The light yellow Dragon spoke. "I've been meaning to find you for a while now… Where have you been?" Spyro, still trying to hide his emotions from Cynder's affection struggled to notice the other Dragon's call. "I've been looking for weeks, I never realized how big this place really is."  
Cynder glanced at Spyro, and noticed that she had almost physically incapacitated the male, so she decided to cover for him. "He's been showing me around." Cynder stepped forward towards the two Dragons. "But you're right, this is a big place."

"I suppose that you could get lost in it easily." The red Dragoness added, promptly followed by a slight laugh of all three Dragons. "You're Cynder, right? The 'Evil' one?"

It was moments like these that Cynder wished that she hadn't come back from the Dragon temple after Malefor's defeat. "Not anymore and never again." The black Dragoness said through clenched teeth, trying not to lose herself at that one ill-aimed comment.

"I'm sorry if you took it the wrong way… But I don't understand why none of the others trust you. The day you arrived here unconscious the Guardians gathered everyone and explained nothing would happen, that you were one of us again." The red Dragoness quickly explained.

"So, you are the second non-Guardian to trust me?"

"If you want to put it that way, yes." The red Dragoness answered.

Cynder was uneasy about the whole situation, but she knew almost nothing about the Guardians, it was all she had to go by, as Spyro wouldn't have been there for the supposed 'meeting' the Guardians had called.

"So, who are you two?" Cynder asked, wondering how much they trusted her.

"I'm Singe," The red Dragoness started. "And this is my-"

"Jolt. My name is Jolt." The electric Dragon spoke quickly, cutting off Singe.

The red Dragoness turned to Jolt. "All I was going to say was…" She leaned in and whispered into the male Dragon's ear. Promptly after she finished talking, a shocked look covered Jolts face. "That was all."

"Then I'm happy I stopped you. But we should be going now, It was nice meeting you Cynder… And Spyro?"

The purple Dragon snapped out of his trance-like state upon hearing his name. "Y-yes? Sorry, what did you say?"

The red Dragoness nudged Jolt with her form slightly. "Never mind Spyro, it was nice meeting you both." Singe said before Jolt could answer, and she started walking slowly as Jolt finally decided to go with her, their tails intertwined.

Spyro waited until the two were out of view before speaking. "Who were they?"

"They were Singe and Jolt. And they were interested in talking to you."  
"Oh… How long were they talking to me?"

"Not long. I kept them distracted for long enough for them not to notice anything about you, so in a way, you owe me one." Cynder said as she stepped back to Spyro's side.

"I owe you? If it wasn't for you licking me I would be fine.

"Oh really? Is that what you think?" Cynder said with an optimistic tone. "Maybe then I shouldn't do this." The black Dragoness rubbed against Spyro's side once more, running the tip of her bladed tail up the underside of Spyro, causing the Dragon to shiver from the touch.

"Cyn, you have to stop doing that…" Spyro said with his voice almost shaking.

"Now there's that name again…" The black Dragoness turned around and rubbed herself against Spyro again, nipping at the end of his tail playfully. _I knew this would work! He's going to lose it soon!_

"Cynder, you have to stop this…"  
"Or what? You're going to lose yourself like you did through that entire conversation?" Cynder asked after tugging at one of his forepaws with her tail.

"You have to stop before we something we'll regret. You said it yourself, it's too soon." 

"Spyro, I know what I said, but there is nothing I can do about this. I can't seem to control my actions as much when I'm around you, it's like there is a force driving me to act this way."

"I know what you mean Cynder." Spyro said regretfully. "But if you can't stop this, I'm going to have to."

"What are you talking about Spyro? What's going on?"

"I know why you're acting this way. If what you told me is true, then this is simply the nature of it all." Cynder stepped in front of the purple male, confused by what he said. "I knew this would happen if I wasn't careful…"

"What is it Spyro? Tell me…"

"I'm getting the same urges that you are towards me, but males usually have better control over their instincts than females do. What you are going through could be one of many things, but there are two answers that will stop this behavior."

Cynder shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry, what was that Spyro?" She had clearly missed everything that Spyro had just said.

"That's exactly what I mean. You just cant control yourself, so the options are that we either do what you're proposing and run the risk of becoming parents, or we stay apart until we can think straight."

"I don't care anymore Spyro!" Cynder shouted back at the purple Dragon.

"Unfortunately, I do care." Spyro grabbed hold of one of Cynder's forelegs with one of his own. "Come on, we have to hide."

Spyro quickly moved back into his room and opened the door for both of them to enter. It was Cynder who went in first and Spyro immediately shut the door behind him.

It was exactly how Cynder remembered it, even though it had only been a few hours since she had seen it. The single book shelf was filled almost beyond capacity, his bed was still a mess from when she had lay on it, and the curtain had disappeared entirely. Not even the remnants of the fabric were on the floor, but Cynder's attention wasn't on the room, it was the owner of it.

"Are you happy now? Were away alone, just as you wanted."

"Spyro, I'm sorry…"

"Don't be Cynder. You can't help this, and soon, I wont either."

"But you never told me what it is…" Cynder sat down on her haunches, staring straight into Spyro's amethyst eyes.

"Its just our instinct Cynder. Our desire to mate with the one were closest to."

"You said there were two things…"

"And that one's purely you. It isn't a bad thing, it's just your cycle. I thought you knew all this…"

Cynder shook her head. "It's all new to me…"  
It's okay Cynder… I know not your fault." Spyro stepped forward and stood on the railing of his bed, facing out the window, watching as the near cloudless sky rolled by._ I should fix that…_ Spyro thought to himself, picking up the sheet in his mouth and pinning it to the wall the same way the curtain was.

"Do you know if were going to-?" Cynder quickly blurted out as the breeze generated by the sheet carried over wafts of Spyro's scent.

"I don't know Cynder. I will resist my urge for as long as I can, but that might not be for long." Spyro finished sticking up his makeshift curtain, allowing the two privacy from the outside world.

"Is it okay if I lay next to you?"

Spyro looked across at Cynder, and then back to where he was laying. There was enough room for them both if he moved over, but indecision struck him once more._ I know how this is going to end… _Spyro glanced back at Cynder again, and then followed with the lesser of two evils. "If you want to."

Cynder slowly stepped onto Spyro's bed and lay against the male, his scent stronger than he could ever remember. "I'm sorry for this Spyro. I know you wanted to wait-"

"Nothings happened yet Cynder, so there's nothing to be sorry about. But I know that the others will be going back and forth trying to find either of us, and I know they'll be watching from outside, so all wwe can do is wait until the coast is clear."

Cynder coiled her tail around Spyro's, pressing them much closer together. Spyro wanted Cynder like he never had before. His mind actually came to the conclusion that there was only one option in his situation. They were stuck in his room, and all other Dragons would be searching the temple, flying, trying to find the source of the shout. All other Dragons knew that Spyro was involved, that was it.

But it was only the female population that wanted to know what was happening. Spyro knew that this would happen, and thankfully had, in one of his previous speeches, made all contact to him, while in his room, cause the culprit to feel 'less wanted'. It was an absurd rule, but it worked nevertheless. Otherwise he would never get any sleep.

Spyro picked his head up and turned to face Cynder, who was staring straight at him. There was nothing else he wanted than to call Cynder his own, and he felt at that the moment was sooner than he expected. "Cynder?" He said slowly.

"Yes, Spyro?" Cynder replied, tightening her grip on the purple Dragons tail.

Spyro breathed deeply, taking in as much of her scent as possible. "I don't think I can restrain myself for as long as I wanted to…"

"Don't." Was all Cynder could reply. For they were hidden together, away from the world.


	9. Chapter 9 Feelings Emerged

**Warning: Minor explicit content ahead. Read of your own Violation.**

Everything was slowing down, breathing seemed to take an age to complete. But it wasn't only slowing, it was getting harder too, as if something was shouting from inside, wanting to be released. As it continued to become more taxing for a breath, the familiar touch of one she knew held the Dragoness within consciousness. The Dragon before her had provided everything she needed to get through the moment, even more than what she required, but for some reason, she thought it wasn't enough.

After fighting against the one she despised above all else, she thought that everything was going to be fine, she thought that everything would work out. But the actions she took were far from what she wanted to see.

The final blow that would have killed the hated Dragoness turned out to kill everything else inside her, After seeing Spyro, her love, call out after the traitor of their kind, something died inside Ember.

Flame lay against her near still form with one of his wings draped over Ember's body, trying to retain some warmth inside her body. The blood Ember did lose was substantial, but not enough to create a problem enough Flame to alert the Guardians about her health. And since, by what Spyro said, he was the only one who of Ember's location, the fire Dragon planned on trying to make the hint clear to the pink Dragoness. He Loved her, but she had been to silent to see it.

The occasional twitch that came from Ember's body kept Flame alert for her health, as more often they occurred, the less likely she was to spring awake, and Flame had everything within his tail's reach. He had caught a small meal and collected some water for the Dragoness for when she was awake, but until that time, all he could do was wait for her to awaken.

The crimson Dragon huddled closer to the pink Dragoness as a chilling wind blew past them. Flame knew that Ember would be furious with him when she came to and figured out he was so close to her, but he had no choice. Either that, or chance that the Dragoness would die.

_Come on Ember, you have to wake up soon!_ Flame shouted inside himself. _You've been out here for hours._

There was another twitch from the Dragoness, causing her tail to flick out from between them to behind her, allowing another chilling gust to penetrate between the two, causing even Flame to shudder slightly.

Flame had thought about creating a fire, but the smoke would bring attention to his location, thus inviting the entire population to find them. But his method worked well, despite the times that Ember would break the air tight lock he had them inside. The red Dragon reached down with his own tail, trying to reach Ember's and put it back into position, but find that it was out of reach from him. The pink Dragoness twitched again, giving Flame a light shove from one of her forepaws. Flame tried to reach Ember's tail once more, but couldn't reach any further than her hip-line.

The red Dragon shifted enough to be able to stand without disturbing Ember any more than the chilling breeze would. And as the fire Dragon picked himself up from the ground, Ember's form naturally curled up to try and stay warm. Flame then turned around and stepped towards the Dragoness's hind section, reaching out with one of his paws to reach Ember's tail, but it was in this moment that Ember came to.

As the female Dragon felt the touch of something unknown against her tail, she immediately thought of nothing more than to attack, regardless of what it was. As Ember jumped to her feet though, the shearing pain that were her injuries grounded the Dragoness once more, leaving her only to allow a menacing howl to escape her throat.

Flame felt Ember jump, which caused him, in turn, to turn around in shock to see the pink Dragoness collapse against the grass once more. "Ember, calm down. It's only me."

"Where." Was the only sound Flame could understand as actual language.

"Where is what? Just relax Ember, you are in no condition to do anything." Flame said, trying to approach the pink Dragoness once more.

"Cy-Cyn… Cyn-der…" Was all the pink Dragoness could say, but she continued the deep growl which kept Flame at his position.

"Cynder's with Spyro back at the temple." Ember's growl grew louder for a moment as she opened her mouth in an attempt to roar, but in her damaged state, nothing came out. "Ember calm down. I am the only one who knows you Are out here, and if I go, you're on your own."

"G=go… I… don't ne…Need y-you." Ember managed to stutter out. The pink Dragoness started fighting against herself to try and stand up, but her weakened limbs couldn't keep her form off the ground.

"Alright, fine. If you don't need me, then I guess you can get back on your own." The fire Dragon then started walking towards the Dragon Temple, leaving the helpless Dragoness on the ground with no strength or energy to move.

Flame could hear Ember growl in pain as she tried to stand once more, promptly followed by a dull thud and a louder, more pain-filled roar. "F-Flame…" She cried out, causing her to visibly shiver. "But I thought you didn't need me? That you never wanted me around in the first place…Ever."

Ember tried to lift her head up from the ground, finding that something as simple as that was harder than all of Terrador's training sessions added together. "Please." She managed to say shakily. Flame stayed in his position for several moments.

He truly wanted to help the Dragoness before him, but would she just take his with no recognition once again? Would she leave him alone in the world like the seemingly countless other times he went out of his way to help the dragoness? Flame stood still, watching the pink Dragoness cringe and shutter as each gust blew past.

The red Dragon really had no choice, even if she was to blow him off after he helped her again, Flame couldn't leave her to almost certainly die out in the wilderness. Flame didn't speak a word, but stepped towards the still Dragoness before him and picked up the small jar of water he collected. "Drink this," Flame spoke calmly as he placed the bottom edge of the jar to Ember's bottom jaw, slowly poring the liquid into her mouth. Flame lay beside the Dragoness, draping a wing over her as he had when she was unconscious, but this time it wasn't rejected as Ember felt the warmth that it instantly brought. Ember even went so far as tucking her tail between the both of them to stay warm, but Flame took no notice of it, trying to cover most of Ember's body as he could with his own.

_How much longer could they be out there?_ Spyro thought to himself. Cynder had seemingly fallen asleep against his side, but it was a position the purple Dragon was less than comfortable with.

As time went on, Cynder tossed and turned against Spyro's side, until she eventually found herself lying on top of him. But it was Cynder's tail that kept tapping the side of Spyro's head that was unnerving. The purple Dragon was constantly tapped by the constant movement the black Dragoness's tail had attained.

Although Cynder's position couldn't make him any less uncomfortable, he had managed to tuck his tail against his side, as just before Cynder did fall asleep she continually tried to play with it, scratching at its underside and only making his attempts at restraint all the more difficult.

Although his Dragonhood was at its full extent, he managed to keep it underneath himself and away from Cynder, which he also thought was one of the very few good things in that moment.

The constant clicking of Dragons that walked passed his room was almost endless, as if they were taking turns to watch, waiting for the moment he would emerge and then pounce on him with an endless array of questions.

Many hours had passed since the two were locked inside Spyro's room, and hunger was almost becoming too much for the male Dragon. Before the whole ordeal started he was hungry, but now starvation was closer to what the purple Dragon was feeling. His stomach grumbled once more, making Spyro shift his position to lie on his side, causing Cynder to roll off him, which woke the black Dragoness up.

The moment Spyro realized that Cynder was awake again was that her claws scratched slightly against the base of his tail. _Oh no._ He thought.

The black Dragoness clawed her way back against Spyro, tracing around the grooves on his hind leg with one of her talons. Spyro could feel Cynder start at the very base of his paw and work its way up the side of his leg, the trail kept continuing on the top side of his hind leg and to the base of his tail.

Spyro felt Cynder's tail work its way underneath his chin, causing the purple Dragon to almost worry, as he could feel the blade-like edges slide smoothly against his throat. But as he felt the blade move further away from him, Cynder tightened her tail's embrace of Spyro, and pulled him closer to her in the process.

Not a word was said by the two Dragons, as talk had become obsolete amongst the two ever since they had both lay on Spyro's bed. But they both seemed to know what the other wanted, either by a quick look or a certain movement.

Cynder continued the trail of Spyro's scales around the top-side of his hind-section, much to his relief. But as Cynder continued to pull him closer with her tail, Spyro wondered what she had planned for him.

All Spyro could see was the back of Cynder's hind legs, the underside of her tail, and her womanhood that was just visible between her legs. Spyro had seen this side of Cynder once before, and that was when she was injured, laying on his much like she was now. But this time, without her injury, Spyro knew that Cynder wanted him to look.

Cynder continued to reel the male Dragon closer while slowly making her way around the base of his tail to reach his underside, which was what she had ultimately planned to reach while they were locked away.

Spyro quickly picked himself up from his bed, knowing what Cynder was trying to do. Cynder was distracting him while she tried to reach his Dragonhood. But as Spyro stood, Cynder rolled onto her back, allowing herself to naturally go limp, causing Cynder to open herself to Spyro's full view, much like he was to her.

The purple Dragon found himself at conflicting Ideas once more. He wanted to make Cynder his own and make her happy. But he didn't want anything to do with hatchlings at that moment. He took another glance down at her hind section once more, seeing the reflection of light from the liquid that formed around her slit.

Spyro felt his member throb, almost as if it knew what he wanted, but Spyro quickly wedged his eyes shut and turned his head away from Cynder. _I will not Do this! I can't! I wont! I-_

Spyro's thoughts were abruptly cut short as he felt something grab his Dragonhood, effectively causing his entire form to lose itself in the wave of pleasure that washed over him. Cynder saw that Spyro was distracted, and took full advantage of it.

The purple Dragon was forced onto his back this time, promptly with Cynder jumping onto him once more. But as Spyro looked down at what he expected to be Cynder's face, instead, again, he found Cynder's tail, hind legs, and open womanhood directly before his eyes. The purple Dragon tried to look away and struggle against Cynder, but Spyro found that he couldn't. The black Dragoness had place both of her hind legs firmly on his forepaws, locking the male Dragon into place, but while he felt Cynder touching his Dragonhood, immense waves of pleasure swept across the male, leaving him with almost no free will against his urges.

Spyro took a deep breath, but that was his final mistake. Spyro received a huge amount of Cynder's scent, which made up his mind for him. The purple Dragon lifted his head up from his bed once more, finding that Cynder had moved closer to him, placing the Dragons nose against the edge of Cyndeer's womanhood, causing the Dragoness to freeze from what he only assumed was the pleasure he was being subjected to.

Spyro licked the warm liquid from the tip of his nose. The moment that the warm liquid touched the edge of his tongue, the male Dragon only wanted more. Spyro moved his head up slightly, knowing that Cynder was closer than he remembered and took one last glimpse of the black Dragoness's womanhood before he gave in to his temptation. As Spyro felt the tip of his tongue slide against the edge of Cynder's scales, he wondered why he hadn't thought of this before.

They weren't mating, which meant that becoming parents wasn't an issue yet, they were able to become so close that both Spyro and Cynder knew that they could call each other their own. It was something that just happened for both of them, which both Dragons knew would mean something in the end.


	10. Chapter 10 More Time Alone

Spyro and Cynder had succumbed to exhaustion as they lay beside each other, feeling the now cool remnants of their activities against their bodies, neither one with the will, or the energy to worry about anything but each other. They had been in Spyro's room for hours, and the afternoon sun set the room in a near black state, making it hard to where Cynder was if she so decided to move. The two young Dragons had both well passed their energy reserves would allow, but Cynder had laid atop Spyro for a while to say the least, both Dragons had no idea how long it had been, they just knew that it had been the best time of their respective lives.

Spyro had give in to his primal instinct, the one telling him to seize the moment and take Cynder as his own, but not once had he considered taking the female dragon's virginity. But something in the back of his mind told him everything was going to be perfect, he knew that Cynder was. But he still felt the slight tap that was Cynder's tail against the side of his head, reminding him that she was still there if the time for them to leave actually came.

Occasionally Cynder would stop twitching her tail, causing Spyro to think she had given in to sleeps embrace. But sure enough, after a few moments of stillness, the black Dragoness would restart the monotonous tap that help Spyro in limbo between sleep and pure ecstasy.

Cynder had no thoughts whatsoever past Spyro. She had no idea what had overtaken her, but the black Dragoness's mind had contemplated one thing, Spyro. Seemingly instinct alone was driving the female into whatever her actions might have been, that was until she felt Spyro's nose brush against her womanhood. It was then that her own actions suddenly came back into existence, finding that her own free will had a chance again. But as she stared at the purple Dragon's extension, pulsing inches away from her face, her thoughts became useless once again.

After what had become an unknown amount of time to the Dragoness, she felt her mind become functional once more. The magnetic feeling towards Spyro almost nonexistent past her own will. She believed that they were one, but Cynder felt that she had self control over herself once more. As if the release she felt as Spyro dug deeper inside of her womanhood was exactly what her body yearned for. Yet she knew that urge would come once again.

Flame shifted his gaze from Ember's form for a moment to watch as the shadow of the Dragon temple just crept towards his position. They had been deserted for hours, but Flame had spent most of that time with the sleeping Ember nestled against him. The pink Dragoness had given in completely to Flame's help much faster than usual, but she was lost, detached from the world.

Ember had lost everything. She felt like giving in to deaths embrace and letting herself go from the world. Her one love had picked another, and left her to die out in the wilderness. Ember tried to run every possible scenario through her mind as if anything could happen, but nothing came out. Her entire existence had been revolving around becoming Spyro's mate, but that single dream was shattered much like her body and mind. She had truly lost everything.

Then Flame had turned up and tried to make everything better for her, or at least try to keep her alive anyway. But he came for the sole purpose of helping the pink Dragoness, keeping her alive just because he chose to. The pink Dragoness awoke slightly, just to shift into a more comfortable position beside Flame, resting her head around her far side to hide any emotion it might show, but it gave her time to think. This wasn't the first time that Flame had helped her through a time of need. The last time Flame came to her aid was after Spyro gave one of his countless speeches to her, denying any feelings whatsoever. As Ember soon found herself bursting into tears, there was Flame. Willing to try anything he could to get Ember to calm down.

Constant thoughts continued to bombarded her. Spyro was as good as dead to her, and the only one to blame was Cynder. The black Dragoness that caused her entire life to seem worthless, she would've killed her on the spot if it wasn't for Spyro. But it was proved that if she did manage to kill Cynder that Spyro would hate Ember in return. But either way, her life seemed pointless when the only one she could love, was taken.

Ember's thoughts returned to Flame, she almost felt sorry for what he had to go through. As everyone else was going after Spyro, Flame ended up doing everything alone, the crimson dragon had no one to talk to. The only time he was ever with another Dragon would be at mealtimes when chose to sit next to Spyro. But Flame never got a word in because every other Dragon was glued to Spyro. Yet Spyro was his best friend. Ember found it amazing. Through all the purple Dragon had managed to unintentionally take away from flame, they still managed to stay good friends.

The pink Dragoness pulled her head around to look at Flame, who immediately started staring at the crawling shadows as she did. This caused her to smile slightly. _He was looking at me._ She still hadn't gathered the strength, or the will, to stand, but enough to ask a few questions.

"Flame," She started, causing him to immediately look down at her. "Why are you helping me after all I've done to hurt you?" Ember immediately thought it was a stupid question, the answer she had was because the Dragon race needed as much help as it could. But it was when Flame took a deep breath and looked towards the sky that made her reconsider.

The crimson Dragon paused for a moment, contemplating the options before him. Flame could admit to his feelings and risk losing Ember as a friend entirely, or he could lie and continue to live waiting for the right time to tell her. "I ca-It's bec- I want-" Flame couldn't find the right answer, and he knew there was no escaping the question because Ember wouldn't be able to move well enough for at least another half day, but at least he could wait until then to answer her. _Maybe Ember will figure it out by tomarrow._

Flame continued to glance between Ember and the crawling shadows that had reached his forepaws, immediately cooling the Dragon's battle hardened limbs. "Flame?"

"It will be dark soon, and it will get too cold for you with only me here." Flame stood, wanting to get some distance between him and Ember before something else came up.

"Where are you going?" Ember asked, tightening her form as much as her injuries would allow.

"I have to make a fire or you'll freeze."

"What if you-"

"I'm going to find some wood, try and stay warm, but I'll try and be back quickly. Stay in the sun for as long as you can." The crimson Dragon turned away from Ember, causing her to glance at the ever approaching shadow.

"I don't want you to go Flame!" Ember shouted as loud as her voice could go, which, at the moment, wasn't much louder than her normal voice, "Flame?" He was gone.

Ember stared off in the direction that Flame had taken, feeling the chilling winds brush past her. _Why did he run off like that?_ She thought to herself. _Why was he staring at me anyway?_ But, no matter what the Dragoness thought, flame was gone.

The male Dragon searched as fast as he could. Not only did he want to get back to Ember, but he didn't want her to feel deserted. Despite the fact that she was almost completely helpless against the rest of the world, flame had no choice but to leave her to gather what she essentially needed to survive. But between his thoughts and assessment of every piece of wood he came across, Flame tried to find a better answer to Ember's first question.

Flame collected several rather large bits of lumber which he thought would burn relatively well, leaving very little smoke to be found. Although there hadn't been a lesson on staying hidden from the enemy, Flame had learned over time that certain types of wood would burn at different rates, depending on the amount of smoke created. But after ten minutes or so being away, Flame was happy with what he found.

Ember on the other hand, had never been so cold in her life. The shadow of the castle had engulfed her completely. But it was lucky for her that Flame had just emerged from the forest' carrying several smallish logs on his back, held in place by his tail. Flame quickened his pace at the sight of Ember, yet remained steady enough not to lose control of his collected kindling.

"Are you all right Ember?" He asked, trying to take her mind off the fact that it was cold. But he received no answer in response, only leaving him to work faster on building the fire. "It'll be just a minute." Flame quickly glanced back at Ember, who seemed to be drawing closer to where the fire was to be. Flame fiddled around with the bits of wood until they formed an uneven circle, then released a stream of fire that immediately lit the piled wood, sending a wave of heat around the area within moments. "There," Flame commented almost proudly.

Ember continued to move beside the fire, lying on her side around it to absorb the maximum warmth that was radiating outwards from it. "Thank you," She said quietly, which was completely missed by the male Dragon, who walked around to the far side of ember and draped his wing over her once more.

"It is going to be a long night." Flame told Ember. "If you start to feel cold again, just say so."

Ember looked back at Flame, but said nothing. The look in his eyes was one completely unknown to the young Dragoness. It was something she had never seen before. She had seen fear, anger, sorrow and hate all before, they were all too common amongst the against Malefor. Yet, what she saw in Flame's eyes was nothing like it. There was a hint of sorrow, but beyond that Ember couldn't tell.

Flame glided his wing further across he body as he tried to move more of himself against her. Ember believed that he was just trying to keep her warm, which was why he went to get the materials for the fire. But Ember could tell that there was something that Flame wasn't telling her. It was in his eyes.

"Flame," Whispered Ember, "Why are you doing this for me?"

"Because I wa-"Flame hit the invisible wall that stopped him from talking again. "I ca-" It was then that Flame got up and took a few steps away from Ember, taking the pink dragoness by surprise, causing her to curl around herself closer to the fire. _Just say it! You know what the answer is going to be._ Flame shouted inwardly at himself.

"Where are you going?" Ember quickly spoke out, watching flame as he paced back and forth across her vision.

"I don't know. I can't think straight." Flame paused for a moment and faced Ember straight on. "You should be able to walk fine tomorrow, if not then I'll bring Sparx and he can heal you, but until that time I just can't answer that question…" Flame turned away slightly. "I need to be sure that it's right."

"Know if what's right?" Ember asked, almost lost by Flame's rambling. "What's wrong Flame?"

"I-I don't know… Well, I do know, but I can't ju-" Flame paused for a moment. "It's you, I can't put things together like I used to. During the war the war it was easy, there was nothing to worry about, but this is different. Life has changed so much in such a short amount of time." The crimson Dragon took a few steps closer to Ember. "I've been lost on what to do lately, It's as if everything I ever had to live for suddenly doesn't exist anymore. Like I'm on my own in this world now."

Ember couldn't help but feel for Flame. She had the exact same point of view, if not just for a different reason. But they were one and the same. Ember felt lost only because the only thing she thought she lived for was Spyro, and Flame, at that exact moment, was no use to anyone in the entire realm. "I know how you feel…" Ember spoke slowly, causing Flame to stop completely.

"No, you don't… How could you know what it's like to have nothing? Do you know what it's like to have no choice in what path your life takes? Do you know the curse that I live every single day? To have a choice that doesn't matter. To know that you will live life alone for Eternity…"

"I know what it's like. I have nothing, that's why I told you to leave today. But you were never going to, were you?" Flame simply shook his head. "I needed you then, and I need you now Flame. It's cold…"

Flame turned away for a moment, but then remembered what he had said only moments ago. The crimson Dragon reluctantly stepped back to Ember's side and lay down against the Dragoness, who snuggled against his side trying to regain some form of warmth once more. The fire was nice, but it didn't warm her completely. "Thank you." She said softly, looking back at Flame, who refused to look at her. There was a slight grunt in response, but ember didn't pay any attention to it._ I need you more than you know Flame. I only wish you could see that._


	11. Chapter 11 Costly Mistake

The night was short to say the least for Ember, the constant thoughts about Flame almost driving the young Dragoness insane. It was only yesterday that the male Dragon came out of nowhere to care for her and effectively save her life. But it wasn't that thought that crossed her mind, it was something else.

Flame had shifted his position many times during the night, ending with the crimson Dragon lying on his side with both his forepaws around Ember's neck. Although the warmth was nice compared to the chilly air temperature, she couldn't help but think that he did it on purpose. Flame's reaction when he woke up would be more of an indicator as to if the action was intentional. Yet Ember almost felt comfortable having the male Dragon like that around her, but it was when the feeling in her hind legs came that something didn't feel right.

Ember was stuck in the grip Flame held around her, for she risked waking him if she was to move, so the pink Dragoness tried to figure out what the strange feeling was. Ember twitched her tail slightly, feeling that it was unbound from the rest of her form, so the young Dragoness slid her tail out from between her legs and felt around for the source of discomfort.

The pink Dragoness slid her tail across the back of one of her hind legs, feeling nothing but flawless scales that lined her form, or at least part of it anyway. Ember then checked her other leg, but as she rubbed down the back of her hind leg, she slid across something else. Something not hers.

As Ember followed Flame's unknown limb back towards his body, the grip he held around her neck tightened greatly, causing Ember to jolt her tail backwards straight between the crimson Dragon's hind legs.

There was a sharp screech as the male Dragon shot awake and jumped several feet away from Ember, hiding the front of his body from view. "What did you do that for?" The male Dragon forced out between very faint whimpers.

"If you hadn't started hugging me during the night maybe that wouldn't have happened." Ember then realized what it was of Flame's that was poking into her.

"I didn't mean to do that! I can't help that I never sleep still!"

Ember lowered her head back down to the ground and straightened her form to face the male Dragon. "I'm sorry Flame, you just took me by surprise, that's all… I didn't mean to hit yo-"

"Just forget it." He said quickly, cutting off the Dragoness. "Can you walk or do I have to bring Sparx over here?" Ember aligned all her limbs with her body, and uniformly applied pressure to each leg, raising her body off the ground slowly. "Good, can you walk?" The fire Dragon quickly spat out, much to the Dragoness' dislike, but she couldn't blame him really. Ember then picked up one of her forepaws off the ground, promptly falling face-first against the flattened grass where Flame had been sleeping, Flame sighed and turned back to Ember. "Hang on, I'll be back in a few minutes…"

Flame unfurled his wings and gingerly picked himself up off the ground, hopping slightly with his hind legs. "Flame… Wait."

"What is it now?" He said impatiently, struggling to keep a straight face after being hit in his Dragonhood.

"I didn't mean to-"

"Yeah, I know. You said that already…"

"But I want to make it up to you…" she answered back quickly. Flame paused for a moment, then refocused on taking off towards the Dragon Temple. "Please…" Ember called out. Flame dropped his wings and tucked them against his sides once more.

"I'm listening."

"Flame, I know that I haven't been a very good friend lately, and some things I've done to you recently haven't been called at all." Ember paused for a moment.

"Ember… What are you saying" Flame replied, still thoroughly agitated.

"I- I… I don't know. It's like what you said yesterday, about not being able to put words together."

"Well, when you think of it, you can tell me. But right now, I want to get out of here in one piece." Flame turned around and flared his wings once more. The way the morning light refracted off the male Dragon's scales made Ember lose her train of thought. Flame twisted his neck around to face Ember. "Don't worry Ember, I get it. But if you hit me like that again there will be no point anyway. Your right, I shouldn't have come, I should've left you out here alone, cold… See you back at the Temple, if you make it!'

The male Dragon tucked his legs and coiled himself to leap from the ground. "Flame, wait!" Ember called out helplessly as the male Dragon soared over the surrounding trees. _He thought I did it on purpose… He thought that I didn't want him that close to me… _The pink Dragoness lay helplessly against the ground, feeling the last waves of heat coming from the dying fire behind her. "I Love you…"

Flame winced each time he flicked his tail to change direction. "If she doesn't want me near her, then I'll get as far away as possible." Flame said to himself. "I was an idiot to think that she would ever change… She'll never love anyone but Spyro. Good riddance to bad company," Flame continued to speak, trying to convince himself otherwise. "I never loved her… How could I?"

The crimson dragon landed in the foyer of the Dragon Temple and headed towards his quarters, wanting nothing more to do with anything. He truly felt like there was nothing left for him in the world. As Flame walked up the stairs to reach his room, the hallway was blocked by almost every single Dragoness in the entire temple, all standing in front of Spyro's door. _What's going on now? _He thought to himself.

Some of the female Dragons noticed Flame enter the corridor, but many just stayed in their position. _That's it._ Flame thought to himself. "Do you all want to know what Spyro's been doing? Or at least why he's hiding?"

"How would you know Flame? You've been out all night!" One of them harshly shot back.

"You're right…" He replied quickly. "I have been out all night, but it was a waste of my time, like I thought it was from the very beginning. But that doesn't matter, my time was useless to begin with."

"No question," Another Dragoness answered, which only infuriated him more.

"That's it, out of my way!" He said harshly to the gathered Dragonesses, not one even flinched. "Move before I make you!" This time Flame accompanied his threat with a fierce growl, forcing all Dragoness to press up against the side of a wall, making a clear path for the Dragon to walk down.

As Flame walked passed each of the Dragonesses, he could hear the endless supply of whispers, but could only pick out a few words between the entire group. But as Flame reached Spyro's door, he stopped and turned back to the gathered Dragonesses. "You'll find that chasing Spyro is pointless now as he has already chosen who his mate will be."

"And how would you know that?" A third Dragoness shouted from way down the end.

"Because he told me!" Flame shifted his weight to one side, ignoring any pain that came from his hind-section, and kicked towards Spyro's door with all his strength, knocking it down with a mighty thud. Flame then turned and head back to his room as the group of Dragonesses just watched, shocked by his actions.

As the gathered Dragonesses heard Flame's door click shut, they all rushed into Spyro's room and found him lying on his bed with Cynder beside him. As Spyro eyed all of the unwanted visitors inside his room, and they all stared at Cynder, the purple Dragon had only one reaction.

After several hours of loneliness, ember finally decided that she had two choices. No one was going to help her, as there were only two Dragons who knew of her location. Spyro and Flame. Spyro would probably tell the guardians as to where she was, but at the risk of Ember attacking Cynder again he would be hesitant towards telling them. And Flame, whom ember had finally found feelings for, thought that she still wanted none other than Spyro._ Why didn't I say it while he was here?_ The pink Dragoness thought to herself, _Am I going to get back? No, I have to… He must know._

The injured Dragoness picked herself up off the ground once more, ignoring anything that her sore limbs managed to cry in objection to the movement. She didn't care what it cost herself, Ember just didn't want flame to do anything he would regret.

Ember remembered the last time she had hurt Flame emotionally and it had almost driven the male Dragon mad. Although this time was more of a physical hurt that she inflicted on Flame, it wouldn't be much better on him. The pink Dragoness prepared herself and took a deep breath. Ember lifted her right forepaw mere inches off the ground, feeling uneasy on her feet, but stable enough to be productive with movement. Ember stepped forward slowly, then lifted the other leg, taking only half steps towards the Dragon Temple. The pink Dragoness found it easier than before to walk, as she mainly didn't try when Flame asked her to. There was nothing she wanted more than to spend more time out in the wilderness with him, but that wasn't going to happen.

After what seemed to Ember as countless miles of walking, the pink Dragoness heard the faint sound of an aggravated roar. _The Dragon Temple is still miles away. _Ember thought to herself, wondering what was going on, but she feared for the worst. _I'm coming Flame._

Every single Dragoness that stood in Spyro's room was blasted with supersonic sound waves that even Spyro didn't even know existed. Yet he managed to control the power so it only affected those standing before him. All the Dragonesses shrieked from the beyond-deafening sound, but in Spyro's opinion, he didn't care. They were leaving.

Countless colors shot out into the main hallway and towards the main foyer area, others took flight out the window, shooting around the massive Temple and into their respective rooms. Once his room was cleared, Spyro stopped the flow of power and sat back down on his bed. _I must ask where that power comes from._ The purple Dragon thought to himself.

Cynder lay down against Spyro in confusion, she saw him open his maw and prepare for an attack, but nothing came out. "What was that Spyro?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know, Cyn. I guess that sound is another form of an element, I'll have to ask the Guardians about next time." Spyro looked towards the now open doorway. "Although I do want to know who did that. But I guess we don't have to hide anything anymore." The purple male said with a hint of joy. Spyro wanted something like that to happen so they could be seen in public together, and nothing happened throughout the discovery, so Spyro was almost happy that his door was broken down. The Guardians, however wouldn't be so impressed.

"At least I can do this whenever I want now." Cynder replied softly, licking the side of Spyro's cheek.

Spyro gave a short laugh before hearing several pairs of footsteps down the hallway. The clicks of a Dragon's talons were significantly louder than that of a regular Dragon, which led Spyro to immediately worry, the Guardians were here.

"I want to see every Dragon in the main foyer immediately!" The earth Guardian's booming voice rung throughout the entire corridor and branching rooms. There was no movement or sound to be heard. "Now!" Terrador shouted out once again. This time however, the light clicks and screeches of old doors were heard, as one by one the Dragons emerged from their respective rooms and moved down the corridor. Not a word was said between any of the Dragons, besides the Guardians, who counted each one as they passed. Soon, all but Spyro, Cynder, and Flame had passed. Terrador opened his mouth once more to shout down the corridors.

"I think it would be better If I talked to them." Cyril said to the earth Guardian. "Volteer, you go and fetch Flame while I talk to Spyro and Cynder. Terrador, you should watch all the Dragons downstairs before something else is said. Maybe you can figure out who did this anyway." Cyril pointed to the broken door into Spyro's room, receiving a nod from the other Guardians.

"Very well. I assume it that Flame has hidden himself inside his room. Either that or he left the temple, because I remember him flying back, but that leaves me to ask where Ember is." The electric Guardian answered back.

"See if you can find that out, and if you do, then we might need to send out someone to search for her." Volteer nodded once more as Cyril disappeared into Spyro's room, leaving Volteer to talk with Flame, and Terrador to keep the others in line.

Cyril stepped inside Spyro's room to find both him and Cynder lying against each other on his bed. Of course Cyril had expected nothing less from the two, as by what he saw of their future, as brief as the image was. The Ice Guardian prepared himself for what was undoubtedly to be a barrage of complaints and questions.

Volteer, however, had a much harder job trying to talk to Flame. The electric Guardian stood before the young Dragon's door and tapped on it with a fair amount of force. "Flame, I need to speak to you about something." No answer. "Flame, I know what you may very well be going through at the moment, but you can't let things like this eat away at you."

"What would you know what I'm going through?" Flame answered back harshly, his voice promptly followed by a loud crash of what Volteer assumed was his bookshelf. "You have no idea what's going on!"

"Flame, you can't let your feelings get the best of you! And I know how you feel because it happened to me when I was your age." The electric Guardian admitted. "This isn't something to get your life lost over. Now you have to tell me where Ember is before something happens to her."

"Fuck Ember!" Flame shouted back at Volteer. "She wants nothing to do with anyone but Spyro. I went out there alone and saved her life, just so she could attack me when I was asleep!" There was another relatively loud smash moments after Flame finished speaking.

"Flame, open this door!" The electric Guardian spoke sternly. "I know what Ember did to you was harsh, but her life could very well be at stake now. So can you either tell me where she is, or you can help us find her later." Volteer stood still for a moment, receiving no answer in return.

_Good, her life is at stake. Maybe then she would reconsider what she did. _Flame thought to himself. _It's not my fault she's out there, I tried to help her and all she did was attack me. Although what she did was… No, it's her own fault!_ Flame was once again arguing with himself for what was the right choice in the situation. _I'm not to blame here… Am I?_ The crimson Dragon rhetorically asked himself. _Ancestors… What am I to do? I can't leave her out there. I've got to find her. _The young Dragon turned to face the window, only to hear his door being ripped open behind him, and an electric spark flying towards his location.

As the lights dimmed from the electric Guardians shock, Flame's limbs were held against each other by several electrical arcs. They didn't hurt the male Dragon, but he was stuck in his position. "I'm sorry Flame, but you left me with no choice. Now, where is Ember?" Flame just held his tongue. Yes, he wanted to find and effectively re-save Ember again, but he wanted to talk to her alone. Volteer just sighed in response, picking up the bound male and carrying him out of the room and into the main corridor. "You're going to have to fix that too." The electric Guardian said with a silent laugh.


	12. Chapter 12 You've said it before

"Spyro, look at what your choices have done." Cyril spoke strongly towards the purple Dragon, who spent most of his attention on Cynder regardless of what the Ice Guardian said. "There isn't a Dragon in this temple who hasn't been hurt or affected by what just happened."

"But I don't care about them for once." Spyro argued in defense. "For once I have been able to make a choice for myself."

"I don't have anything against the fact that you chose Cynder over the others, but that won't stop the chaos from erupting within the Temple. Already we have bee-" There was a loud crash down the hall coming from where Cyril only assumed was Flame's room. The Ice Guardian took a deep sigh. "Do you know who broke down your door?"

Spyro simply shook his head. "I heard a few shouts from the hall just before it happened, but I don't know who did it."  
Cyril glanced towards his window, finding Spyro's sheet stuck over the top of it to obscure everything from outside. "Do you know who broke you curtain?"

"That was me after Cy-"

"That's ok. I'm just trying to find out who is responsible for what damages." Cyril turned his attention to the corridor after seeing Volteer walk past Spyro's door with Flame in one of his arms. "Great, now I'm going to have to clear this up. All the other Dragons are gathered up in the foyer. You don't have to come as it will be about Cynder and yourself."

"Wait, before you go, do you know anything about what power I used was?" Spyro asked quickly, stopping the Ice Guardian from anything.

"Sound itself is a variation of-" There was another loud crash from the corridor. "I will tell you about that later, Volteer knows more about it than I do, so you can ask him about it. But for now I am needed to settle a few issues." Cyril once more headed out of Spyro's door, this time turning around to face the purple Dragon, who had immediately turned back to face Cynder, nuzzling against her. "Spyro." The ice Guardian said once more, once again receiving no response. "Spyro! This is important!" The purple Dragon simply turned his head around to look at the Ice Guardian. "Ember is still out there, and if we don't send word to you that she's here in thirty minutes, I want you to go out and find her, regardless odf what objections you might have. Ember is still one of us and we need her much like we all need each other."

Spyro nodded, if not only slightly. But the moment Cyril left his sight, the purple Dragon turned his attention back to Cynder, who had been unusually quiet the whole time the Ice Guardian was there.

"Put me down!" Flame shouted as he struggled against the electric restraints Volteer had put on him. "Let me go and I'll find Ember!" The crimson Dragon tried to break out of his bonds once more, but failed miserably as he was carried into the main foyer.

"Flame, if I let you go, you will fly out of this Temple faster than any of us ever could. But whether or not it would be to find Ember is a different question."

"Let me go and I'll prove it! I have to talk to her!"

"You're not going anywhere until some form of punishment has been set for the damages you have caused to your room." Just as Volteer and Flame entered the main foyer, every single Dragon looked at the Crimson male.

"That will do!" Terrador shouted over the gathered Dragon populace. The earth Guardian moved towards Volteer, who placed Flame on his back beside him.

"What was that all about?" Volteer whispered to Terrador.

"That just proved who broke down Spyro's door." Terrador answered back in a whisper that matched his own, watching as Cyril came into view.

"Spyro and Cynder are both aware of what has happened and I have told them to search for Ember if nothing has been told of them in the next half hour." Cyril gave a quick glance towards Jolt and Singe, who, much like Spyro and Cynder, weren't paying much attention. "You are all free to go back about yourselves, but I now hearb0y set the following standards for immediate effect! One: You must respect each other's choices, regardless of you opinion. If you have a problem, talk to us, don't fight each other. Two: Everyone's room belongs to you, and you only. Under only certain circumstances will two dragons be able to share a room, but that must be talked through with us before any arrangements are set. If you have any concerns about these rules, at least one of us is around the Temple at all times."

The gathered crowd started murmuring amongst themselves. The most notable word Cyril overhead ws 'Spyro', but the message quickly got across that he was no longer available. "Silence!" Terrador shouted over the crowd once more, giving a quick nod towards Cyril, who looked back across the group to continue.

_I have to… Keep… Going!_ Ember was shouting inwardly at herself as each step became slightly more and more agonizing. The pink Dragoness had covered just over half the distance to the Temple since she had started her pain filled journey over an hour ago. Each half step hovered closer to the ground as Ember went on, until her forepaws just dragged along the soft grass underfoot. More than once did Ember feel the urge to just collapse on the cooling lush green, but a larger part of her mind forced the pink Dragoness onwards. The part that wished for Flame to be beside her.

The Dragon Temple was just within sight amongst the slight breaks in the forest, which urged the Dragoness onwards despite anything her body said. _I hope he wont ignore me. Please flame, just once listen to me._

Ember shuffled slowly on, one half step at a time, closer towards the Dragon Temple. With nothing but herself to talk to, the pink Dragoness thought that she should plan what to say before she arrived.

"Do you know how much damage you caused, Flame? You have broken two doors a bookcase, and a bed! All four of those items had been inside this temple since the day it was completed, countless Centuries ago! What drove you to act this way is beyond me, but there are no excuses." Cyril paced back and forth before Flame, who had both Volteer and Terrador standing behind him as the crimson Dragon had been released from his electric bonds. "I don't think anything this serious has happened before, and it leaves me to wonder how I would act upon it."

_I don't have time for this! Ember is still out there and they won't let me find her!_ Flame turned away from the Ice Guardian to glance out a window. _I have to find her!_

"Flame! Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes, I am! I just… It's n-"

"You what? Lost control of yourself? Lost all reason to think?"

"I have to find Ember!" Flame quickly answered, readying his stance for what would be a quick getaway.

"And why would we let you go out and talk to the one you abandoned in the first place?" Cyril asked quickly.

"I made a mistake, all this could have been avoided if I had just listened to her!"

"Then why didn't you listen to her in the first place?"

"Because… I-I… I don't know, I wasn't thinking."

"So you thought you might destroy this place instead?" Cyril spoke harshly, noticing Flame's constant views of the open window.

"No, it's not that… I just-"

"Stop." Cyril said quickly, cutting off the crimson Dragon. "Flame, just stop. Ember is still out there, and you happen to be the only one who knows where she is, who is willing to find her. Now, as far as you punishment goes, it will have to wait until a later time so I can come to terms with what happened in a way that sounds reasonable."

"So, you mean to say th-"

"You are free to go for now, but you must find Ember. Either one of Volteer or Terrador will be watching, so don't try and use this time as a way to escape your punishment." Cyril spoke calmly, in his normal voice. "Leave now, I will call you when I have made up my mind." The crimson Dragon wasted no time, immediately leaping up from the floor and headed outside through the open window. Both Terrador and Volteer soon stood and headed towards the stairs that led to the roof, both Dragons were too big to fit through the window. "Terrador, Volteer. Where are you going?"

"To somewhere we can watch Flame, you said yourself that he might use this time to escape whatever punishment you may be able to come up with." Volteer answered towards the head Guardian.

"Leave him be, Flame won't try and escape. His conscience would get the better of him. He is a wild Dragon sometimes, yes, but I can tell when he means right and wrong."

"So, you trust what he said?" Terrador asked in response.

"Entirely."

The pink Dragoness found a very shallow stream in a gully along her way towards the Dragon Temple. The third quarter of Ember's painful journey had just begun, but the young Dragoness decided to take a rest from the constant traveling and agony that came along with it. The cool, water that rushed over Ember's aching paws gave them a numbed feeling, but it helped to hide the pain she felt.

Despite the fact that it was the Season of Ice, Avalar had seen very little, to no snowfall. Along with that, the temperature had been unusually high, causing most plant life to flourish at an early rate. But thankfully, Ember thought, it was better off that way, for if it did follow routine with snowfall and ice, the pink dragoness' survival would have been highly doubtful.

Ember dipped the bottom of her jaw under the water and took a large draught from the stream, promptly followed by a slight shiver as the remaining droplets rolled down the underside of her neck.

The pink Dragoness slowly turned back towards the direction the Temple was in, and started the slow climb over the ridge. Upon reaching the top, the tip of the Dragon Temple came into view. _I'm almost there… I just have to keep going. I hope tha-._

Ember found herself lost as she saw a Dragon fly overhead, but as to what color it was, she couldn't tell. The sun was placed directly behind the flying Dragon, making anything but a silhouette.

"Ember!" Was shouted from the overhead Dragon. "I thought that I'd lost you!" The pink dragoness tried to shield her eyes from the sunlight with one of her wings, cutting out most of the unwanted light, but it was then she could tell who had come for her.

"Flame?"

The crimson Dragon landed before Ember with a slight thud, only further implying how quickly he was traveling. "Ember, I'm sorry for leaving you out here, I should've know that you would never attack me on purpose."

Flame, I-"

"No it was my fault. I should've listened to you." The ale Dragon continued, stopping Ember from making any form of communication, "I didn't mean for what happened this morning to… I wanted to tell you but I- I- I couldn't!"

"Flame, please liste-"

"No, you don't have to say anything. Everyone's worried sick about you back at the Temple. But I didn't mean for anything like this to happen. When we get back, can we just forget that anything happened out here? This is something I would rather not have to remember." The crimson dragon walked passed ember, his head hanging low and tail brushing against the ground. The pink Dragoness simply put one of her forelegs forward and stepped on Flame's slacking tail. There was another slight yelp as Flame felt his tail almost being pulled off at just his walking. "What did you do that for? He asked with a large amount of frustration.

"Because you wont listen to me." Ember said calmly, driving flame into more confusion. "Flame, I tried to tell you before you left this morning, and I've been trying to tell you now."

"Ember, I know. You don't want anything to do with me when we get back to the Temple. Look, you don't know how hard this is for me, so can we please just go now?"

"Flame, you're not listening again!" Ember took several paces closer to the red Dragon. "But you don't understand what I'm trying to tell you." The pink dragoness continued to inch closer to Flame, leaving their noses less than a few inches apart. "I Love you."

Flame immediately shot away from her. "And you expect me to believe you this time? I remember the last time you said that, I ended up being the pity of the entire Temple! Or at least the part of it that wasn't obsessed with Spyro!" The crimson dragon turned away from ember.

"But Flame! I do mean it!"

The male only scoffed. "I remember the last time you said that too. Or was it the time before that? Ember, I don't know what you have planned with this, but I don't believe you."

"Then believe this!" Ember moved as quickly as she could towards Flame, who was still facing the Dragon Temple. The pink Dragoness summoned all her strength and collided with the male Dragon, setting him off balance to fall onto his side. Flame was completely caught off guard by Ember's sudden attack on him, but before he could react, he found her lying atop him.

"Ember! What are you doing?" Flame shouted out, struggling against Ember's weight as much as he could, but to no avail, as Ember had managed to find enough power to keep him at bay.

"I'm proving to you that I'm serious!"

"Really? Because it looks to me like you want to-"

Flame's voice was cut off as he found Ember's maw pressed against his. After a few seconds of contact, Ember pulled herself away from Flame and moved back onto the grass, allowing for the male Dragon to find his feet once more. "Flame, I truly mean it this time. But… Do you believe me now?"\The crimson Dragon slowly made it to his feet again, he couldn't believe it. Ember, the Dragoness he had been chasing since during the start of the war, had finally found feelings for him. Flame nodded slightly, still unsure if the kiss had actually happened.

As Ember angled towards the Dragon Temple once more, Flame slowly made his way to her side, leaving about a foot gap between them. The pink Dragoness quickly removed their distance, and wrapped her tail around Flame's.

_This can't be happening! _Flame was shouting inwardly at himself._ I can't believe it!_ The male Dragon gave a quick glance towards Ember, who was smiling sweetly at him. _It's true! She does love me! _Flame quickly averted his gaze from Ember and back to the Dragon Temple before them, he tried to take a step forward, but ember held firm.

"What's the hurry? Can't we spend what time we have together?" Ember then sat down on her haunches, releasing Flame's tail in the process.

The crimson Dragon immediately sat down beside her, she was right, they were alone out there. Nothing could go wrong.


	13. Chapter 13 Arguement and Agreement

The afternoon sun shone brightly overhead for Flame and Ember. They both sat on their haunches against each other. Ember never took her eyes off Flame, it was as if all she wanted was to stare at him for the rest of her days. The pink Dragoness leaned against Flame almost dependently, trying to keep most of her weight off her still-injured form.

Flame on the other hand had lost himself completely. Over the hours the two had spent together over yesterday and that morning, Ember's thoughts towards, and about him were completely anew. It was as if Ember had become another Dragon. But that was to his advantage.

His entire outlook on the world had changed completely. The male Dragon thought that he had something to live for again, that his life was worth something more than to be another name carved into the wall for survivors of Malefor. But Flame felt something inside that he never had before, the feeling of being wanted.

Ember was much the same, although, she always knew that Flame liked her, but she had no idea how far he was willing to go to make her happy. She had said before that she would've liked nothing better than for him to leave her alone. And the male Dragon was willing to do that, just for her. Ember twitched her tail, feeling it within the firm grip of Flame. She smiled inwardly at herself, realizing that what she had been seeking all along, was right in front of her.

Flame glanced down at Ember, immediately gazing into her eyes. _Ancestors, how could I have almost lost her? What would I have done if I had?_ The male Dragon thought to himself. It then dawned upon him though._ I shouldn't just sit here, the Guardians will think I left, and not coming back…_ Flame slowly pressed back against Ember with his wing, forcing her back to a self-supporting position. "We shouldn't be out here, the Guardians will come looking for us eventually."

Ember sighed slightly and cringed slightly as the pressure on her own limbs reached her mind. ""Didn't you tell them that you came for me?"

"I did, but Cyril said that he would have either Volteer or Terrador watching me as I went, and if it looked like I was running away, they would come after me, or worse."

"What do you mean 'or worse'? You are here, with me. You have done nothing wrong." Ember lowered herself to lay on the grass, almost subconsciously objecting to the idea of coming back.

"I know, but I don't want to be in any more trouble than I already am." Flame moved in front of Ember. "Could you sit up for me again?" Flame asked, receiving a confused look from Ember.

"Wjy do you want me to do that?" The pink Dragoness asked almost immediately in reply.

"Just trust me for a moment, okay?"

Ember then tilted her head to the other side._ Why would he want me to do that?_ The pink Dragoness took a deep breath again, and pressed against all her paws, forcing herself back up to a sitting position. "Why did you want me to-" Ember started to ask, but then noticed Flame had lowered his head to look more intently at her body. "What are you doing?" Ember shot out, slightly annoyed over Flame ogling her. The pink Dragoness immediately lowered herself to the ground once more, it hurt slightly, but it immediately stopped Flame from staring.

"Ember, why did you do that?" It was obvious that the male Dragon hadn't heard anything that Ember said during the time he was staring at her.

"Why were you staring at me?" She asked with a hint of venom in her voice.

"I was seeing if you were hurt anywhere about your forelegs"

Again ember tilted her head. "Why would you want to know that?"

"So I could see if I could carry you back to the temple instead of walking."

_Wait, did he just say carry me?_ Ember asked herself, not believing what she thought Flame said. Ember again tried to remember what Flame said, but nothing came through. She just stared blankly at the male before her.

"Ember?" Flame asked, wondering if he had said anything wrong.

Ember then panicked. She quickly tried to come up with an answer that would cover a broad number of questions. "But… How?"

Flame paused for a moment. "Ok, then I'll show you. Could you just sit up again?" Ember did as he asked, and followed him with her eyes as Flame walked behind her. "If you look at me I won't be able to hold you properly."

_What did he just say?_ Ember immediately thought to herself. _Surly he couldn't have said…_ Ember looked straight forward, wondering what Flame was trying to do. She sat still for a moment, thinking about what might come from her stupidity. _I should've just asked him to say it again._ It was then that Ember felt Flame's chest against her back. It was war, almost to an unnatural temperature. Ember increased the force in her forelegs, putting more pressure against the male Dragon.

"That helps a little." Flame commented as he felt Ember force against him. "Can you hold that for a moment?"

" Y-yeah… Sure…" Ember replied, confused about what Flame was trying to do. Ember flicked her tail to one side, immediately running into Flame's hind legs. _What is he doing? _Ember then flicked her tail to the other side, once more, feeling Flame. Then she started to panic._ I'm not ready for this! Please ancestors tell me that he's not trying to-_ Ember then felt Flame's forelegs wrap underneath her own and pull her his entire body closer to hers. For some reason, to Ember, having Flame pressed against her like that felt right, like he was an attachment to herself. But Ember also felt that the time wasn't right, that Flame had something else in mind.

"See, I could easily move my-"  
"Stop!" Ember shouted, breaking all contact with Flame and jumping several feet away, causing the male Dragon to fall to the ground, crashing face first into the grass.

Flame picked himself up from the ground, slightly annoyed with Ember's sudden actions. "Ember? What did you do that for? I was only showing you how I would-"

"I didn't ask you to show me how we could mate!"

Flame stopped completely. Lost as to what Ember had shouted at him. "W-w… What?"

"I said that-"

"I know what you said Ember, but I didn't say anything about mating. I was showing you how I would carry you back to the Dragon Temple instead of walking!"

Ember froze. She was completely embarrassed at what she had just said, and what flame had meant by his actions. If she hadn't been a pink Dragoness, she definitely would have in that moment. But what was worse, she didn't even know how to answer what Flame had just said. Then, another thought struck. If she couldn't trust Flame now, what chance was there of trusting him in the future? "I-I …" The pink Dragoness was completely at a loss for words. "I- Flame… I'm-"

"I knew it! I knew this was never going to happen!" The male Dragon looked at Ember for a brief moment, then turned away. "See? This is what happens when I believe you. You tell me everything I had ever wanted to hear for nothing more than a half hour, then stab me in the back. It happened a week ago, it happened this morning, and now it's happening again!"

"No, Flame. That's not what I mea-"

"Oh, no, Of course not… Ember said something she didn't mean… Ancestors forbid that Ember say something she means."

"Flame, please… I didn't mean it"

"And you didn't mean it this morning either… Hmm? What about last week, did you not mean it then too?" Flame looked back at Ember with anger in his eyes. "Have you said anything and meant it in your life?"

Ember stopped and lay against the ground. It was that morning all over again. She did something that she didn't mean, and Flame took it as an attack against him. Ember thought that her short time of happiness was over, that the few moments she had spent with Flame feeling like he was the one, was all for nothing. The pink Dragoness felt like her entire world had come crumbling down on top of her, like everything was a complete wreck. She pressed herself against the ground, laying as flat as possible, avoiding any eye contact with the male Dragon standing over her.

Flame only turned around, not wanting to see Ember like she was. It truly was a hard sight to behold. _What's wrong with her now? _Flame thought. _Did she actually mean what she said?_ It was then that he started second guessing his actions. Flame glance back at Ember once more, finding that she was sobbing worse than he had ever seen her. _What have I done?_ The male Dragon turned himself around to face Ember, and padded closer to her side. "Ember?" Flame spoke softly. "Ember please, I didn't know."

The pink Dragoness remained silent, ignoring any of Flame's actions while she continued to feel tears slide down the side of he face.

Flame was lost this time, his mind actually losing subtlety. The male Dragon sat on the grass beside Ember and slowly ran one of his paws against her side. "Ember, don't do this… I-I-I-"

"Save it." Ember answered back, lifting her head off the grass and turning to face Flame. "Flame, I told you how I felt less than an hour ago, and already you don't believe me." The pink Dragoness solemnly stated. "I meant every word of what I told you, but you still can't understand what you mean to me now. And if you can't understand now, then what will become of us in the future?"

"Ember, I'm sorry… But I never even thought about what I was doing, and what it could have been." The male Dragon stopped all movements and stared at Ember.

"Flame, what you just said hurt me more than you could imagine. I thought I lost you…"

"Ember, don't say that. I did not mean to hurt you, but I'm not used to this…"

"It's not a matter of getting used to Flame. If you truly want us to be like that then you shouldn't have to know what to think. You already should."

Flame quickly jumped to his feet, he too then thought his dream was shattering. "Ember, I'm sorry… Please, is there anything that I can do to make it up to you?"

"Flame, what we had broke in less than an hour, and if we can't go along without a fight like this, then I don't know how it is going to happen." Ember stopped and moved into a sitting position like she was before. "Flame, I told you how I feel and what I want. But if you can't trust me, then I don't know how this is going to happen. As for now, I want to know that I can trust you again."

Flame then stepped back towards Ember, standing in front of and facing towards her. "I'm sorry Ember. Please." Ember looked towards the ground, away from where Flame was standing before. "I Love you."

Those three small words rung through Ember's mind, it was then that she remembered how Flame felt when she first said them earlier that day. There was a sense of compassion held within the crimson Dragons voice as he said it. _He truly meant it._ Ember thought to herself. It was there and then that she picked up her head and looked straight towards Flame. "I forgive you Flame, but you have to trust me like I need to trust you." The pink Dragoness paused for a moment as Flame stepped towards her and started rubbing his neck against hers. "And if you want to avoid the Guardians, we had better get going."

Flame immediately took a step back, wondering how he should go about asking his first question again. "How do you want to get there?" _Idiot._

"I don't think I can walk that far, so I guess you'll have to carry me." Ember replied, again with a fair amount of embarrassment.

"Do you trust me?"

"I don't have a choice."

Spyro and Cynder were walking through one of the Dragon Temple's countless corridors, tails entwined. The two Dragons passed many others on their way to the main foyer. Needless to say that many strange looks were given to the couple, but that didn't mean that Spyro and Cynder didn't ignore them, or just not notice them at all.

Spyro spent most of his attention on Cynder, while what remained of the male Dragon's conscious worried about no walking into a wall. But thankfully enough for Spyro, Cynder kept them on a straight path, until the Dragoness turned a corner and found Sparx.

Both Spyro and Cynder froze, from their last encounter together, not even Spyro could guess as to how his half brother would react. Cynder wanted to try and ease any hostilities he believed she held towards him, but Cynder would leave most, if not all the talking to Spyro.

"Uhh, Sparx… Hey! You wouldn't happen to know what happened to Flame would you?" Spyro quickly tried to get the attention off both Cynder and himself.

"Nope, but I did however hear about you and 'Ol Terror over there," Cynder immediately tightened her grip on Spyro's tail, much to his discomfort. "But, could I speak to you a minute? Alone." The small Dragonfly put much emphasis on the final word.

Spyro was almost amazed by how calm his half brother was with Cynder so close. Although the purple Dragon knew that Cynder wasn't going to anything aggressive towards Sparx, that didn't mean she wouldn't cause him any form of discomfort. "Umm, sure…" Spyro glance towards Cynder, who was clearly trying her best to restrain any form of action. "Cynder, would you mind if you…" Spyro glance back at their tails, which Cynder immediately released upon Spyro's request. The purple Dragon leaned in closer to Cynder. "I'll try and get him to understand." He whispered to Cynder, receiving a short nod in response.

"Come on, I don't have all day." Sparx said in a rather sarcastic way, since no one in the temple had anything to do besides the Guardians.

Spyro immediately turned around to face his much smaller brother, flicking the edge of his tail back towards Cynder, gently tapping the tip of her nose in the process. The purple Dragon took several steps down the corridor and turned the corner, with Sparx hanging on to one of his horns in the process.

"Have you lost your mind again?" The seemingly paranoid Dragonfly flew from Spyro's head and floated along the edge of his nose staring right into the purple Dragon's amethyst eyes. "You didn't see what the Guardians did to everyone else did you?"

", but what-"

"They put everyone in the foyer and caused the biggest scene, just because of you two!"

"Sparx, do you have a point?"

"I was getting to that!" The small Dragonfly shot back quickly. "The point is that because of you two, everyone else has stopped coming to me. And I ought to thank you for it."

His last comment took Spyro completely off guard. "What?"

"Because of you and psycho over there, I am now able to whatever I want and never get interrupted anymore. Because all the crazies were chasing you, all I ended up doing was heal this, and fix that… Now that you've finally chosen one of them, I get the rest of my days off!"

"So, you don't have anything against us being together?" Spyro was still completely lost by his half brother's words.

"Everyone else in here does…"

"Sparx!"

"Alright, alright. Calm down there big guy… As for you two being together, I have no more good reasons than bad. But I want to know that she won't lash out at me like she did yesterday."

"Sparx, Cynder didn't lash out at you yesterday."

"And you two weren't getting it on twenty minutes ago." That last bit silenced Spyro completely. "Ok, that was a bit much…" Sparx stretched out his arms and lay down on Spyro's snout. "Tell you what, get her to apologize for yesterday and maybe It will change my mind about her… As much as I hate to admit it, I can't live without you sometimes, but if you're going to be with… Her… The rest of your life, it's the least I can do to try."

Spyro raised an eye ridge at his brother, he knew Sparx didn't like the idea of him being with Cynder. But he also knew that Sparx wasn't one to welcome change that much, so what he did was offer was plainly in Spyro's favour. "Ok, but you have to stop with the names. This will be hard enough on her without you calling her 'Evil'.

"Right then, she gives an apology, I stop with the name calling."

"Deal." Cynder spoke up from around the corner. The black Dragoness had heard the whole conversation between the two brothers. She understood what had to be said, but knew it would be worth it in the end. For in Spyro couldn't speak to his brother without him being scared to death each time, Cynder knew Spyro wouldn't be happy. Cynder stepped out from behind Spyro and looked at Sparx, who had shot up from his position at Spyro's nose.

"This isn't going to help, you know…" Sparx put a little more distance between Cynder and himself.

"Sparx, relax. Cynder understands what you said and agrees to it completely. I heard it, you heard it, and she heard it." Spyro tried to ease his brother's tensions.

"Yeah, yeah, I know what I said, bit it doesn't help when she eavesdrops on us."

"I'm sorry Sparx, I didn't mean to scare you yesterday morning, all I wanted was to thank you for-"

"Ok, ok… That's enough, you don't have to tell me everything… I was there remember?" Sparx paused for a moment. "Actually, I should be thanking you for finally getting chick magnet here to pick someone… It was driving me insane."

"Well, I don't think you understand how hard it was on me too, Sparx."

"Yeah, sure… It was hard on you… It's really hard for someone to stand there and have almost the entire world stare at your every move, all the while stabbing each other in the back after you turned every corner…" The golden Dragonfly turned around and started flying back down the way her had come before. "I wish I could go through all that-" Sparx was gone.

"I think that went well…" Spyro said softly to Cynder, who just stood still, dumbfounded at how weird Sparx truly was. "I think he likes you on the inside."

The black Dragoness gave a confused look. "And how would you know that?"

"If you live with someone for five years, you pick those things up." Spyro turned around with cynder and immediately locked his tail with hers again.

"Are you sure he's alright with us?"

"Even if he isn't, I still Love you all the same."


	14. Chapter 14 Couple Talk

Spyro and Cynder continued slowly through the endless hallways and corridors of the Dragon Temple, as if trying to show each other off to the rest of the world. Evil looks were the usual response towards Cynder, but envy was almost constant throughout the entire journey as well. All Dragonesses wished to be Cynder, whereas, the other few males praised Spyro to no end. For although the news was hard to admit for many of the Dragons, many Dragonesses figured that their second choice was the only other one they would get.

As the couple continued on their way through the main foyer towards the gardens, the two wondered when the truth would set in, and Spyro and Cynder couldn't help but watch. One singular male Dragon moved towards a group of Dragonesses. From Spyro's point of view, the dark emerald Dragon had tried to make himself look nicer than all the other Dragons, scale polished to a gleam, fringe set straight, and wings neatly folded up.

After a few minutes of talking amongst themselves, the emerald Dragon tried himself on an ice blue Dragoness, which caused her to stop completely. She took a quick glance at her friends, who all had mixed emotions over everything, but in the end, the emerald Dragon strolled away with the blue female at his side.

"I guess that some learn faster than others." Spyro observed.

"It doesn't bother me either way… I have the male I wanted, and that's all that matters." Cynder moved herself closer to Spyro once more, tightening the grip she held his tail in. "But it's nice to see that were not going to be the only 'couple' within the temple."

Spyro immediately tried to start walking again, forcing Cynder along with him. "You don't have to say it like that…" He rushed out.

Cynder increased her walking pace to move before Spyro. "What's the rush Spyro? We have the rest of our lives together."

"Y-yes… I know that, but, we only have about five minutes until sunset."

"I don't care about that, it happens virtually twice every day. But what we have is only once a day… And I don't want to waste a minute without you." Cynder placed one of her forepaws onto Spyro's. "I don't care about anything but you."

"But, I want things to be perfect. Will you at least allow me that?" Spyro asked in reply. "I don't want it to happen every day, just this once."

"Ok, just this once." Cynder removed her paw from Spyro with only a little reluctance, and proceeded forward beside the purple Dragon.

As if on cue, the pair stepped outside and into the temple garden, proceeding to sit against each other on the highest ridge of the temple grounds. Just as the tip of the sun skimmed the horizon and started falling behind the few trees that stood over the rest of the forest.

Spyro couldn't help but smile inwardly at himself. It was as if his one and only dream had come true again. The tranquility of the garden, along with the unmentionable warmth that radiated from both Spyro and Cynder and the sun was almost worth the fourteen years of fighting against Malefor and his forces. Everything that he had worked for over those years, paid off to him again. The purple Dragon looked towards his would-be mate, her emerald green eyes staring lovingly towards him. This was yet another moment that the purple Dragon wanted to live forever.

"Spyro?" Cynder whispered out after resting her head against his shoulder.

"Yes Cynder?" He asked in a whisper that met her own.

"I've been thinking, but I don't quite know how to put it…" Cynder stayed in her position against Spyro, who only leant against Cynder with the rest of his form, laying his head on her opposite shoulder.

"What is it Cynder?"

"It's just… I've been thinking about us… And what it would be like for us to, you know…" Cynder turned her eyes towards Spyro. "What it would be like for us to mate."

Spyro took a deep breath, as if he had prepared for a comment like this to be spoken, it wasn't something he feared, but curious about. Although his teachings with Ignitus were fairly thorough, as with everything the fire Guardian did. But there were still questions that bugged Spyro's mind. "I don't know Cynder," Spyro answered with honesty. "There is much that I don't know about it, but-"

"It's not how, Spyro, but what. What would it mean between us? What if something happens? What if I am to fall gravid?" Cynder wrapped one of her forepaws around Spyro's. "What if something goes wrong?"

"Cynder, I wont let anything happen to you."

"I know, but… You can't be there forever, what if it's not you?... I know that you won't let anything happen, but-"

"No buts, Cynder. I will always be there for you. That's what part of being mates together is about." Spyro lifted his head from Cynder's shoulder. "Never to leave each other's side." The purple Dragon sighed once more. "Cynder, I have to be honest with you."

The black dragoness pulled away from Spyro slightly. "W-what is it?"

"Cynder, you know that I would never do anything to hurt you, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Just, can you answer the question Cynder…" Spyro continued in a voice that was only a few hairsbreadths above total silence. So quietly that Cynder had to strain to hear him.

"You would never do anything to hurt me, you wouldn't…"

"I know, but, I was told that when a couple mates together for the first time, it is more painful than anything for the female." Spyro turned his face to Cynder once more. "So, regardless of what I say about never hurting you, If we wish to-"

"I- I understand Spyro… I know myself well enough after seeing… You… That not everything would go as I imagined." Cynder looked straight into Spyro's Amethyst eyes. "I know that you would never do anything wrong if you could, Spyro. But this is something I am willing to go through for us."

"I don't want to force you-"

"But you won't. I do, someday, wish to be a mother… And I want to do that beside you, with you. I Love you Spyro. Nothing can change that."

The black Dragoness' last words settled Spyro's nerves. Cynder always seemed to have that power over him, and as Spyro's body visibly relaxed, she believed that the subject was over. Cynder leaned in closer to Spyro as he did back to her. The couple's lips connected for a brief moment, only to break away quickly as the two heard footsteps behind them.

"You two have caused quite the trouble today." Spyro and Cynder immediately turned around upon hearing Cyril's voice, separating slightly, if only from habit. "But through all the problems you have caused, many more have been solved today."

"What are you talking about?" Spyro asked.

"Oh, hasn't Sparx found you two yet?"

"Actually, we found him." Cynder answered. "And Spyro believes he doesn't have anything against us, which is all I could have hoped for." The black Dragoness inched back towards Spyro again.

"Yes, quite. Now tell me. Have either of you seen Flame or Ember arrive back yet?"

"I thought he was with you… But that means Ember's still out there, I forgot to-!" Spyro immediately shot to his feet and flared his wings.

"Relax, Spyro. I figured that something like this would happen." The purple Dragon sat back down and wrapped one of his wings around Cynder. "As far as I know, flame is out there with Ember. But he was due to arrive back about an hour ago, unless Ember was further away from the Temple than I figured."

"If they're walking, then they won't be back until tomorrow because Ember wouldn't have been able to walk on her forelegs." Cynder answered once more, using one of her forepaws to pull Spyro's wing further around herself.

"I tried to set Flame a limit on time, so he would try and hurry as much as he can. But if you see any sign of them, let me know immediately." Cyril turned around and started on his way back to the temple.

"Cyril, wait." The Ice Guardian twisted his neck back to look at Spyro. "What is to happen to Flame? I heard that it was him who broke down my-"

"Nothing. Since times have changed, my role as Guardian has changed with them. Before I was the teacher of wisdom and tactics, but now all that is required is supervision. Flame will have enough on his hand trying to live with Ember without me adding to his burdens. But speaking of actions, Spyro, unless you want to in a room with no privacy,

I suggest you stay with Cynder for now. I have spoken with Terrador and Volteer about this, and I believe that you two can stay together, even though you did so last night behind our backs." The ice Guardian looked back at the temple once more. "Goodnight Spyro, Cynder. I will see you again tomorrow just to follow up, making sure our choices were correct."

And so both Spyro and Cynder were left alone once more. The sun was halfway disappeared behind the horizon as Spyro and Cynder turned back around to feel the last remnants of its warmth on their chests. The air temperature was dropping quite rapidly, but the warmth generated by Spyro and Cynder, along with the dying light of the sun keeping them more than comfortable for the time.

"So, where are we?" Cynder asked quietly.

"I can't remember." Spyro answered back after a few moments of silence. "But I don't care either." The purple Dragon tightened the grip he held around Cynder's form. "As long as you're here." Cynder gave a light laugh at Spyro's words. "What?"

"Nothing…" She answered quickly. "It's just, you said that last time."

"That doesn't make it any less true…"

The rest of the afternoon for the Dragon couple was exactly as Spyro had imagined it, they sat against each other until the very tip of the sun's light had retired into its daily slumber, and so, Spyro and Cynder followed.

The walk back to the temple was slow, with both Dragons wanting to spend as much time as they could together. Although after receiving word from Cyril that they were allowed to sleep together was news nonetheless, Spyro wasn't going to spend his time in a room with no door regardless of what anyone thought.

The temple was deathly silent , as only the repeated clicks of Spyro and Cynder's talons against the hard stone floor. Although the two were walking incredibly slow, there was no way to stop the echoing sounds.

Upon reaching the hallway where the Dragoness lived, it too was dead. No sigh of life was within sight, which, along with the dim light, gave the curving hallway an eerie atmosphere.

"Why did you have to pick the room furthest away?" Spyro whispered in question, only receiving a dumb look from Cynder, as if he should already know the answer.

"Would you rather stay in your room tonight?" Cynder answered, only to receive silence in response. "That's what I thought, because you are in no position to complain about my room."

"I thought it was going to be 'our' room from now on…" Spyro once more gained a sly grin.

"While only 'my' things are in there, it will remain 'my' room."

"So does that make me you property?" Cynder gave Spyro a slight nudge from a quick turn of her body, forcing their hips to collide together. Spyro, though, caught Cynder's tail with his own and wrapped himself around it.

Silence surrounded the two Dragons as they continued down towards Cynder's room. But upon arrival, the black Dragoness was wary about entering straight away. Although she always kept her room scrupulously clean, Cynder never thought that it was good enough. Yet whenever she entered Spyro's room, it was as if the purple Dragon didn't care that his room was a mess and Cynder was to see it, although both times Spyro was in a rush and had no other option. But that was Spyro.

"Could you wait here for a moment?" Cynder asked quietly.

"But, why?"

"There are just a some, things… I need to fix up." Cynder stood still, watching intently as Spyro thought about it for a moment. "Of course, it's your room." Spyro said, untangling his tail from hers and allowing her to enter the room, leaving him alone out in the corridor.

The moment Cynder stepped into the room; she remembered what changes she had made yesterday. Most of her small items were placed in a small pile against the wall. _That won't do._ The black Dragoness quickly picked up each item and re-decorated her room back to the way it was before she had packed everything away.

Spyro stood with one ear placed against the door. Everything was silent apart from the odd sound of natural clutter. The purple dragon himself had never actually been inside Cynder's room, so he wondered what she could have been doing. But he also wondered if this night would be like her previous one. After several minutes of near-silent activity, and many muttered words later, Cynder opened her door only just wide enough for Spyro to enter.

As the purple Dragon moved inside, he was instantly hit with a wave of Cynder's scent, which was the most predominant thing Spyro noticed aside from the black Dragoness herself.

Spyro quickly glanced about the room and noticed how everything had its own place. The gaps in the ornaments were few and far spread, leaving Spyro to believe that Cynder was one high on neatness and order, which immediately put his room to shame._ I should clean my room once the door gets back._ He mentally made a note for himself. But the purple Dragon himself was speechless, both from how her room appeared and from the aroma it carried.

Cynder noticed his non-stop staring, and thought she had done something wrong. "I'm sorry if its not-"

"You have nothing to apologize for," Spyro interrupted. "T-this is beautiful… But not as beautiful as you."

Cynder once more thanked herself for being a black Dragoness, for if she wasn't, Spyro would be able to tell that she was blushing. Despite the fact that Spyro could hold himself calm throughout the whole comment, Cynder couldn't help herself.

The moment the purple male had turned around completely once more to face Cynder, that was when she pressed herself against the purple Dragon and walked him to her, or what was soon to be their, bed.


	15. Chapter 15 Understanding

**Warning: Explicit material ahead. Read at your own risk.**

**Boring message to certain viewers, if you just want to read the chapter, ignore the bolded text and keep reading at the start.**

**Authors Note: I have noticed some people have been either disappointed or mislead because of the description. You know who you are, but I realize I should clarify. This is not a SpyroxFlame or a CynderxEmber. Please don't leave any more messages about this. If any wish to discus future Book ideas, I am open to suggestions. Just leave a message with your Idea of a story. I will take ANY suggestions, mind you. For those who are confused by this, just keep reading the story, but for those who want to see something written in the future, PM and I'll see what I can do. Just no more complaints about writing that should be this or should be that. Up to at least chapter 26, nothing is changing, so deal with it.**

**Enjoy.**

Pain. Pain was the first thing to strike as the male Dragon found himself flying through the air with Ember held tightly within his grasp. The strain on his wings was tremendous, yet Flame knew he couldn't give in.

Agony. As each beat of his wings drove them further forward, Flame felt as if they were being ripped out of his back. But he would happily go through it all again, as long as it was for the female he carried.

Happiness. Despite everything that had gone through, and what he was going through at the moment as they soared over the near black landscape, Flame was happy with how everything had turned out. They fought, they talked, and they argued. But most importantly, they understood.

All three of these emotions continued to plague, and drive him to want more. He wanted to reach the Dragon Temple before true night fell, he wanted to save Ember from the chilling winds, he wanted to apologize to both Spyro and the Guardians for the damages he caused. But what he wanted most was to be Ember's mate.

Flame found himself cringing after every wing beat, causing him to veer slightly off course from the clearly visible temple before him. But every couple of strokes or so, Flame readjusted his grip on Ember and corrected their heading.

The male Dragon would've made the flight between the Temple and Ember's location easily within just over ten minutes, but with the pink Dragoness held firmly against his entire front, it would take double that time, of which he was halfway through.

_Ancestors! This would be so much easier if I didn't-_ Flame shook his head violently, causing the two to change direction dramatically._ No! I must do this! I- _Flame quickly corrected his bearing and stopped his thoughts as he felt Ember's tail rub against the underside of his own, causing the male Dragon to shudder. "Ember… Please…" The crimson Dragon was losing focus on the task at hand, and slightly loosened the grip his hind legs held around Ember's hind section.

"Flame! I'm slipping!" She cried out quickly, spreading her own wings on instinct alone.

The male Dragon immediately changed his flight path to the ground, allowing him to tighten his grip on Ember and change his direction back to where it was, facing the Dragon Temple. Although this time, Flame didn't care about himself, he tightened his grip so that they couldn't be separated. "It's okay, Ember." He shouted over the wind. "I won't let you go, even if it kills me." Flame tightened his grip across Ember's chest to further his point. "I'm not going to drop you."

The pink Dragoness tucked her wings back against her sides._ I have to trust him… But I can't do anything that might distract him._ Ember traced circles around a single scale on his forepaw, causing Flame to only tighten his embrace around her further, but it was something she wanted. Ember wanted Flame pressed against her like he was. The feeling of closeness was one the pink Dragoness intended on feeling as long as she could.

As Flame continued onwards to the Dragon Temple, the final rays of sun glared outward towards him and Ember, while the lights of the Temple dimmed along with it. "We'll be at the Temple shortly…" Flame spoke softly as Ember made another circle around the same scale on his foreleg. "But I don't think you can be healed until tomorrow."

"I have some life gems in my room…" Ember said softly. "Everyone went searching for them just after Malefor died, and most were used after battles on Spyro. Very few are left around the temple now as many continued to fight each other."

"I didn't think Sparx could heal everyone…" Flame muttered back. "I'll just drop you off at your room, then go see the Guardians…"

"No," Ember quickly replied. "I need you to help me get the gems." _But you aren't leaving the room until I say so._ The pink Dragoness thought, planning her actions already for when she would be near good health.

"If you say so…" Flame replied, continuing towards the Dragon Temple, unaware of Ember's planning.

It took the crimson dragon another ten minutes, but eventually, the pair reached the side of the Temple and glided slowly down into Ember's room. Flame asked constantly if Ember was fine with him going into her room, and the only answer he received was that she wouldn't get there any other way. Although Flame's immediate thought was that he could land in the main foyer and they could walk there, but in Flame's mind the stairs would have caused too much of a problem. So he shook the thought off completely.

Flame hovered in the air just outside Ember's window as he slowly released her from his grasp, allowing the Dragoness to land gracefully inside and limp up onto her bed as the male dragon entered.

"Top shelf, to the right…" Ember immediately spoke, directing her gaze towards one of her bookshelves. Flame immediately stood up on his hind legs and peered up towards where Ember had looked, finding a black bag that was almost packed full.

"Are they in the black bag?" Flame asked quietly, trying his best not to wake the other Dragons. The crimson male turned back to Ember, who nodded slightly, so Flame picked up the bag in his teeth and returned to the Dragoness behind him. "How many do you have left?" He asked, remembering how hard it was to come by the gems even during the war.

"There should be seven in the bag, but I have one more hidden under my bed…" Ember reached forward out with a forepaw and plunged it into the bag, pulling forth a large glowing red gem, clenching it tightly in her paw.

There was a quick flash as the energy coursed through her body, healing any imperfection that covered her form, allowing the pink dragoness to stand without restriction. Flame closed the bag once more and turned to put it back on top of the shelf where he found it. "Are you feeling any better?" The male asked rhetorically, as he saw Ember stretch out her legs.

The pink dragoness gave a short glare to the back of flame's head, leaving him obvious to the fact that it had happened, but the glare quickly turned into an examination as Ember watched Flame reach back to the top of the shelf, her eyes darting between the tip of his tail, and the top of his neck. Ember let out a small sigh. _I Love him…_ Was all her mind could come up with. The pink Dragoness sat on the edge of her bed, continuing to look up and down the male before her.

Flame put down the bag and returned to all fours. "I hope that you don't have to use all of-" Flame paused as he found ember staring at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Ember sighed again. _Doesn't he know?_ The pink Dragoness stood slowly and stepped towards Flame, rubbing her entire form against him. "No reason…" She said with a slight smile.

Flame returned her affection and stared into her cyan eyes. "I should be going… The Guardians wont-"

"You're not going anywhere…" Ember interrupted, catching the end of his tail with her forepaw. "Not unless I say so anyway…" The pink Dragoness pulled herself closer to Flame, and pressed her entire body against his, almost forcing the male onto his side.

"Ember… What are you doing?" Flame asked, quickly moving himself away from ember, allowing the male time to think.

"Stop it Flame…" Ember cooed seductively, flicking out a paw towards the male accompanied by an alluring growl. "I need to… 'Thank' you, for what you have done for me…"

"You don't have to do anything ember…" Flame stepped back, forcing himself against the door as Ember moved towards him once more.

The pink Dragoness put her head alongside Flame's and , whispering in his ear, said, "But what if I want to?" Ember locked the door and turned around, wrapping the end of her tail around Flame's horns, pulling him along to join her on the bed.

Flame didn't want to fight against Ember, although how she wanted to thank him was a mystery, the male Dragon could only imagine what she had planned. But all flame knew was that this was his dream; To be that close to Ember.

The pink Dragoness was tired of fighting her urges. Flame had saved her life, and she wanted to repay him. But what drove her even more than that was that she loved him, and she wanted nothing more than to be his mate. As she lay down on the center of her bed, Flame stared blankly over her form, admiring every scale, every perfectly shaped curve. The male Dragon was at a loss for words. Never before had he seen Ember act this way, but it wasn't something that he had a problem with, for the crimson Dragon thought, then and there, that she wanted to become mates.

"You don't know how long I've dreamt of this…" Flame whispered out under his breath. "Ember, i-"

"Come closer Flame…" Ember interrupted the male once more. But he didn't seem to notice, stepping closer to Ember, and standing beside her. "Flame, closer…" The male Dragon was confused, how much closer could he get to Ember? Flame sat down, "No!" Ember growled up at him. "Closer, like this…" The pink Dragoness reached around with her tail to meet Flame's hind legs, pushing them forward, causing the male Dragon to stand over her.

"Ember… What are you doing?" Again, Flame asked quietly.

"I Love you." Was the only reply. The male Dragon was standing completely on top of Ember before she reached up with her forepaws and connected them behind his back, forcing Flame to lie on top of her. "Make me your own." She whispered into the male's ear, making everything clear to Flame.

The male gave in to his primal urge and pushed his maw firmly against ember's while he shifted his position slightly, allowing Ember to open herself up to him. Flame felt the same feeling in his hind section that came whenever he was near the pink Dragoness, but this time, he didn't try to hold it back.

Ember pressed harder against Flame as he continued to drive himself closer to her, but that wasn't how the female wanted it. Ember used all her force to push the male Dragon over onto his back, and she pounced onto him, continuing their passionate kiss. But that wasn't all ember had planned.

The female Dragon pressed her hind legs against his, forcing her hips to connect with his as she felt his member grow in-between them. Ember rubbed her tail up and down the underside of Flame's as she had done before, but when she reached the very base of his tail, Flame paused for a moment until she stopped the contact between them. _That's his weak spot._ Was all Ember thought.

The pink Dragoness flicked out her tongue, finding that Flame's was already out, leaving both of the thin bodies to wrap around each other as they continued their passion.

Flame tried to shift his position underneath Ember, but he was locked in place, which caused the male much discomfort as his member was being squashed between them. He let out a slight moan to try and get Ember to stop, but the pink Dragoness only pressed harder, and let out a great moan of her own.

Flame felt Ember rub her tail across the underside of his own again, causing him to pause from the feeling, but when Flame stopped, Ember moved down his form towards his now pulsing extension.

Ember continued to rub the base of Flame's tail to keep him still, and it worked to no end, allowing her to take in and examine what he was, before she began what her planned action was.

Ember slid the smooth side of a talon down the crimson Dragon's extension, causing him to stir and shudder uncontrollably. The pink dragoness rubbed back up the male's shaft, getting the same response as before. The third time she did it caused Flame to sharply thrust upward. Another moan came from Flame, this one of course was more pleasure than discomfort. "Do you like that?" Ember asked, getting a small nod along with several delayed movements with his forepaws. The pink Dragoness moved both of her forelegs back to the ground, this time wrapping her tongue completely around the purple extension and sliding her mouth up and down its length. Again, quickly followed by a pleasurable moan, and a quick thrust, causing Ember to further plan what she would do.

Flame was helpless, yet, he didn't want it any other way. Ember had taken control of what she had originally planned, which, in Flame's mind, was how it should be. But there was a thought in his mind telling him to take over and dominate his would-be mate. Although this voice was quickly silenced by the thoughts of pure ecstasy that coursed through his form as Ember rubbed back up his member.

The female dragon felt Flame's tail start to react to hers again, and she quickly found it wrapping around her own, pushing the Dragoness up towards him like she had done several minutes ago. Flame leaned forward and once more connected their maws, continuing the passionate kiss Ember had broken before.

Ember quickly place her forelegs on Flame's, but this time held her hind section away from Flame's, as his pulsing member rubbed the outside of her opening.

The pink dragoness broke their passionate kiss for a moment again. "Are you ready, My Love?" Flame opened his mouth to reply, but quickly found Ember's lips pressed against his, and felt her weight coming back down on him again.

The feeling was something that neither Dragon had ever dreamt of experiencing. As Ember slowly felt Flame's member press further inside of her, all she could think of was the immense pleasure that flowed through her entire form. A deep moan escaped her maw into Flame's, who continued their passionate kiss.

Ember didn't believe how good it felt, she then wondered why she had fought off Flame the entire time, if this was what he had dreamt the entire time. And then, everything became clear to Ember once more. Although she had thought it through many times over in the past few hours, she really did Love Flame for who he was.

Ember slowed her decent down Flame's shaft, creating another moment of pure delight for both of them. But as her movements slowed, so did Flame's, and she felt a slight moan from him, and, not a moment after it finished, there was a quick thrust upwards from his hind section. And that was when Ember felt that everything was going wrong.

A sharp pain ran up through her back, causing the Dragoness to create a loud roar in agony. But as she did, Flame broke their kiss, unable to keep the Dragoness quiet, but Flame was still feeling the pure ecstasy, and didn't realize what happened.

Ember dug her claws into Flame's shoulders, not enough to draw blood, but enough for that would normally get a reaction from the male, but he was squirming beneath her, not paying attention to anything in the world.

The pink Dragoness bared her teeth, panting heavily from the pain that throbbed in sync with the male Dragon's member._ How can he not even!_- Ember stopped her thoughts for a moment. _Maybe this is what he went through before… _Ember glanced back down to the crimson Dragon, who still twitched from what she guessed was joy or happiness._ I owe him this…_

Ember righted herself atop Flame and prepared for what she thought was to come again. _It isn't his fault…_ Ember slowly continued to slide Flame's member deeper inside of her, causing him to stop moving completely, and all Ember could hear was another long moan escaping from his throat, but that was when ember's feelings changed.

No longer was it shearing pain that she felt, but then the female felt like doing exactly what Flame was doing moments before. The muscles in her forelegs twitched, and her tail shook from side to side, now enjoying every minute of their closeness. Flame made another quick thrust into Ember, causing them both to moan in sync together.

As Ember felt her hips press against Flame's, she was then lost on what to do. They were completely together. Ember rubbed her tail up to the base of his, making sure that her assumption was correct. _What do we do now?_ She thought to herself as the waves of pleasure she felt slowly drifted away. But Ember knew that what she was doing was right, they were one, and she was whole once more.

Both ember and Flame lay in silence for a few seconds, or to them what felt like hours, and Ember heard several noises outside the door, the endless clicking of talons on hard stone causing her to panic. _What if they find me? I will get Flame in more trouble if we're seen like this!_

The pink Dragoness pressed up with her hind legs in one quick movement, only to feel the waves of pleasure wash over her once more, which caused her to sink back down onto the male's member, but as her hips joined back to Flame's, he thrust back up into he once more, tripling the pleasure they both felt.

Ember lifted her hind section back off Flame's, both Dragons releasing long moans as Flame found feeling again and pulled her back down on top of him, connecting their maws in another passionate kiss. Ember pressed up faster than the times before, only to be pulled back down by Flame's tail. The pink dragoness heard the male Dragon let out another moan, felt his member inside her throb more than it had before. But with each pulse from flame, Ember too found herself reaching a new level of feeling.

Flame fought off Ember's forelegs, allowing him to reach behind her and hold the Dragoness against himself. Both Dragons let out another long moan before there was a knock at the door. Ember immediately froze, breaking their kiss to stare at the door.

"Ember? Are you in there?" It was Cyril. "The other Dragons heard you cry out and called me… What's going on?"

Ember pressed herself against Flame's chest with her forelegs, but the male wouldn't let go, so she slowly lay against him and remained still, hoping they would think she wasn't there.

Ember watched as the lock on her door held firm as the Ice Guardian tried to make his way inside. "Ember, unlock this door, or I will do it myself." The pink Dragoness pushed against Flame's chest once more, trying to break the hold the male Dragon had on her upper body.

The pink Dragoness watched as her lock turned and clicked open, allowing the door to swing inward, revealing Ember and Flame, who were now mates, to the rest of the world.


	16. Chapter 16 True Intentions kept Secret

Everyone was silent, watching as the ice Guardian stood before Ember's door. But there was only one question on everyone's mind: Who was in there with her? Cyril spoke once more into the door, but the moment that it was opened ajar, a tiny little fireball found it's way outside, bouncing off the hard stone frame that held the door.

There was another roar that came from inside that room, quickly followed by another hatchling sized fireball that once again bounced off the stone frame of the door and dissipated into nothingness after a few feet.

This disturbed the ice Guardian greatly. From what he knew, Ember was inside her room, and the only one accompanying her would be Flame. But why then, would it cause either one of the Dragons to attack anyone who tried to enter? Cyril thought through every possible action, which quickly threw into doubt the ice Guardian's assumptions on Flames feelings for Ember. But that wasn't the top problem that concerned the Ice Guardian, As the only sound that had emerged from the room had been a roar of agony. This made things all the more precarious.

Cyril was the only one of the three Guardians that were awoken by the younger Dragons, which left him to think by himself for a plan. He had to find out what was happening inside the room, but couldn't risk seeing himself because of the flurry of fireballs that would be sure to follow. It was then that Cyril came up with an idea.

"All of you wait here. Do not touch ember's door, and do not try to talk to her." He addressed the gathered crowd, who all nodded in unison. Cyril then turned around, facing towards the end of the corridor, weaving through the entire Dragon populace to reach Cynder's room.

The ice Guardian knocked several times on the door, hearing several cluttering noises followed by Cynder, who poked her head through the open doorway. "Cyril… What is it?" The black Dragoness asked, completely taken aback by the head Guardians presence.

"Is Spyro awake?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah… Why?"

"Something is happening with ember, and I can't find out without being attacked." The ice Guardian spoke quickly, trying to get across the urgency of the situation.

"Isn't she with Flame?" The ice Guardian gave a quick nod. "Then what are you worrying about? Never mind, why did you come to us anyway?"

"As much as I trust Flame, I can't ignore my duties to make sure everything is fine. The other Dragons heard a roar from her room, but cant enter or see inside to know what might be going on." Cyril paused for breath, "I came to you because I need to know something."

"And what would that be?" Cynder asked in turn, wanting Cyril to leave so she could go back to sleep with Spyro, as the lack of sleep from the night before was catching up to her.

"Do you still know your shadow cloak technique?"

"Yes, why would you want to know that?"

"So either you, Spyro, could look through Ember's window to find out what's going on inside."

Cynder's door opened a bit more, allowing Spyro to stand beside Cynder at the time. "I'll do it." He yawned, his voice full of sleep.

"I'm not too sure how long this will last." Cynder answered.

"I'll be quick… All I have to do is look through the window, easy." Spyro took a few steps passed the ice Guardian and into the main hallway. "Lay it on me."

Cyril stepped back as Cynder too, emerged from the hallway and stepped into the main hallway. The black Dragoness's scale's visibly darkened from the metallic shine, to complete pitch black. As Cynder opened her maw and started to exhale, a seeping mist found its way onto Spyro, which, upon contact, made the Dragon completely transparent.

After several moments, the purple dragon was nowhere to be seen. "Now Spyro, you have to be quick. I need to know what is ha-" The ice Guardian stopped as Cynder's stance changed completely. The female Dragon raising her head above the rest of her form and twitching her tail several times. "Spyro, that's enough!"

"What?" He replied innocently.

"Just find out wha-" There was another roar that echoed down the corridor coming from Ember's room. "Find out what is going on in there!" Cyril had almost completely lost his patience.

"Ok, ok…" Spyro's voice this time came from behind the ice Guardian, causing him to turn around uneasily and give a stern glare towards the window, which Spyro immediately leapt through. _Although I have to admit: that was fun._ The purple dragon thought to himself.

Spyro flew around the edge of the temple in a wide arc, eventually finding Ember's room, which he had vowed never to look in after one of her attempts at him. But this was different. The purple dragon pulled up as he reached the open window. Ember's head immediately turned around, believing she heard something. But there was nothing to be seen to her. From Spyro's pint of view, things were quite different.

All that the purple dragon could see was ember lying atop Flame with their tails locked together and their hips connected. Spyro immediately turned around upon first sight and wedged his eyes shut. He knew exactly what they were doing. Yet he both never wanted to see it, and didn't want to know about it. Mating was something the purple Dragon thought was a purely private affair, and that's how it should stay.

The purple Dragon flew blindly for a moment, forcing his mind to forget anything he saw, so the only thing he though about was Cynder, which immediately eased his mind. Spyro opened his eyes slowly, trying his best not to remember what he saw between Flame and ember. Of course the purple dragon was happy for both Flame and ember, he just wished there was another way of learning that they were finally together.

Upon reentering the Dragon Temple, Spyro landed as softly as he could, watching Cyril pace back and forth while Cynder lay against one of the walls, trying to find some rest. Spyro cleared his throat, causing Cyril to jump and face him while Cynder suddenly sprung awake.

"Spyro? Tell me what's going on in there." Cyril took several steps towards the window.

"Stop." Spyro said as the ice Guardian almost stepped on top of him. "Ember is fine and so is Flame…"

"Then what's happening in there?" There was a moments silence as Spyro looked towards Cynder, unbeknownst to the others, but were obvious to the look. "Spyro!" Again the ice Dragon spoke.

Spyro heaved a deep sigh. "They're…" Spyro lowered his voice so low that Cyril had to strain to hear him. "Mating."

Cyril shot his head back up immediately after Spyro told him the answer. But quickly, a look of understanding came over his face. "That explains everything the…" Cyril quickly turned around and walked straight past Cynder, but paused for a moment on her other side. "Thank you both for your time." After that, the ice Guardian disappeared around the corner of the hall.

Spyro continued to stare lovingly at Cynder, her tail shook from side to side slowly, as if trying to keep feeling in a dying limb. But Spyro wasn't held in trance by her tail, but on his own accord. He remembered what he said several days ago, about wanting to wait until he was ready to have a hatchling. Cynder agreed with his statement at the time, but now Spyro's mindset had changed. It wasn't as if he suddenly wanted a youngling to care for, but he wanted to be able to call Cynder his mate. Ongoing thoughts flowed through his mind. The purple Dragon considered asking Cynder if she'd changed her mind, but threw the idea away, as it would force her to make a decision that he didn't want to force her into. If she said yes, then Spyro would think that it was just his choice that influenced her, and he wouldn't be able to turn back. He was stuck.

Cynder stayed against the wall, as if wanting for the still-invisible Spyro to do something like he had before. But after a few minutes of waiting, Cynder wondered what, or where Spyro was. She hadn't seen their door open, so he was either standing right in front of her, or had flown outside and entered through the window. Cynder picked herself up from the ground, but thought that she should make sure he wasn't already there. "Spyro, are you here?"

The purple dragon continued to stare at Cynder, the shade of her scales had returned to normal, allowing the dim light to refract from her scales, lighting every curve along her form. _She's beautiful…_ Was all Spyro could think. But as the black Dragoness shrugged and opened her door, Spyro then spoke. "Yes, I'm here…" Spyro said quietly with a fairly depressed tone, causing Cynder to turn around immediately and look towards the voice with confusion.

"Spyro? What's wrong?" Was her natural reaction.

The purple Dragon immediately stepped closer to Cynder, nuzzling against her neck in reassurance. "It's nothing…" He lied.

Cynder could tell something wasn't right, but it made Cynder think about what could have caused Spyro to change so quickly. The black Dragoness stepped back from Spyro's advancement, no matter how nice it felt. "Spyro, I'm serious. What's wrong?"

Spyro took another deep breath. "It's Ember and Flame." He admitted, planning on not revealing what they were doing.

Cynder sat down where she was, leaving the open doorway for Spyro. "What were they doing?"

Spyro took full advantage of being invisible and moved into Cynder's room to lay on her bed."It was nothing." Spyro said from around the corner, causing Cynder to jump up and stand in the entrance to her room.

"Spyro! What's wrong? You haven't sounded that down since Ignitus left us…" Cynder paused for a moment, scanning her room for any sign of where Spyro might be. "And stop moving while I can't see you!"

Spyro thought of an Idea that might take her mind off bothering him. "Ok…" Spyro said from her bed, immediately watching her move towards it, so he stepped to the side and placed his tail in front of Cynder's forelegs, causing her to trip and fall over, landing on the side of her neck. But Spyro had planned it so she would fall on the bed.

"Spyro! That's not funny!" The black Dragoness heard Spyro snickering from the doorway. I'll get you back for that once I can see you."

"I know… but until then." Spyro then stepped behind  
Cynder and blew his ice breath over the back of her neck, sending a shiver down Cynder's spine to the end of her tail, creating a fine layer of frost upon her back.

Cynder immediately lay down on the bed. "S-Sp-Spyro! T-T-Tha-ts C-cold!"

"If you say so…" The purple Dragon then used a small flame to turn the frost into residue. "Better?"

Cynder rolled onto her side, putting her back against the wall. "Yes, slightly." Cynder quickly looked around the room again, waiting for something else to happen, only to feel Spyro lying at her feet. Cynder immediately pulled the male Dragon closer to herself, wrapping one of her wings and both arms around Spyro. "I am never turning you invisible again." Cynder vowed.

Spyro groaned, Celebrating in his mind that Cynder had gotten off topic. "Why? It was fun for me. But If Cyril wasn't around I would have made it more fun for you." Spyro teased, causing Cynder to flick Spyro with her tail, as though it was the only part of her body that was guaranteed to hit him. "What was that for?"

"That, was for doing it in the first place. Although I did like it, that wasn't the time… This." Cynder whacked Spyro on the back of the head just as it became visible again. "Is for tripping me." Cynder stretched her neck around so that her head was before Spyro. "And this…" the black Dragoness gave Spyro a light kiss on the cheek and returned to her normal position. "Is just because I love you."

Spyro growled lightly, wishing for more. But then the previous thoughts came back into his mind, Spyro wedged his eyes shut, forcing the thoughts from his mind. He would wait until Cynder asked him, that was final.

Cynder tightened her hold on Spyro, the purple male easing toward her body as she did so. Cynder knew that Spyro was hiding something, he was never quiet around her. Especially if she had shown any sort of affection towards him. The black Dragoness hadn't forgotten, but she would wait for another time. But then that got her to think about what Flame and Ember were doing, and why that had anything to do with how he was acting. If they were fighting, did it mean that Ember would go back after Spyro? That was the most liable explanation, as Cyril seemed to leave in such a hurry.

The black Dragoness was confused. She didn't know what was happening to Spyro, but she knew that he hadn't stopped loving her, that was clear. Still, she continued to think about it until sleep took her and Spyro into its peaceful embrace while they stayed in their loving embrace.


	17. Chapter 17 Time to Think

Several hours had passed since the entire Dragon population was standing in question all throughout the stretching corridor. The only thing that crossed their mind was what Ember might have been doing. Yet, they couldn't figure out what she was doing because non were capable of looking through stone or wood. To the dragons, this annoyed them to no end, but they could still hear slight grunts coming from her room throughout the entire time they spent waiting. Cyril quickly made himself know to the group, shifting their attention from the sealed doorway and towards the head Guardian. Although Cyril was naturally put off by the young couple's hasty interactions, there was nothing he could do about it but wait.

It was obvious to him that Ember hadn't thought through her action. He knew it all too well that none of the Dragons that lived in the castle were anywhere near close to taking on such a burden. Although there would be quite a bit of time before a Dragonet would hatch, Cyril figured that such a strain would be put onto the afflicted Dragons, effectively destroying their relationship. That was something the ice Guardian had pledged to himself immediately after he realized what was happening. He wasn't going to allow anything within his power to go wrong.

Although, yes, Ember and Flame had broken a rule, the ice Guardian wasn't going to enforce a punishment on them. He would keep everything to himself, for he knew that Terrador would be completely against it, and Volteer would only want to probe into the young couple's relationship all the more. The ice Guardian sighed, looking over the rainbow of Dragons seated before him. Countless blue's, greens, yellows, and reds looked on, almost eager to hear what their pink counterpart had gotten herself up to. There was no worry or fear for her, but they cared enough to at least pay attention.

But how would the ice Guardian word their actions? Cyril wouldn't tell the others that Flame and Ember had mated together, that would have completely destroyed his original idea to keep it between Ember, Flame, and himself. Spyro happened to come into the mix, but Cyril figured he wouldn't talk to Flame or Ember about it, let alone Cynder. Sure, the purple dragon would know of what they had done, but he would try and keep his behavior around the two as normal as possible. But on second thoughts, Spyro would want to ignore Ember on all fronts because of her hostility towards Cynder. The ice Guardian shook his head, emptying his thoughts of what might happen between Spyro and Ember.

Cyril looked out to the rainbow once more, already finding the effects of Cynder's choice taking effect, as many Dragons had a partner to lean against. It was the worst thing that a supervisor against the exact thing would see. Cyril counted how many were still by themselves, managing to keep the number on only one of his paws. It wasn't a good sign, and he needed to further his original speech about what would happen between a couple if something happened. It was only now that the Guardian realized that the others had turned away, facing Ember's door as once again a faint roar found it's way into the corridor. Cyril then realized what was wrong with how Ignitus had explained relationships between the students. He explained both sides of the argument, but leveled off before anything serious might happen. The seriousness of what might happen between Spyro and Ember.

Cyril cleared his throat, effectively calling all attention back to himself. "Return to your quarters." He said plainly, causing all Dragons to glance between each other. "Now!" The ice Guardian spoke with a fair amount of force, causing all gathered to say goodbye between themselves, some with a lick on their partners cheek, others with a sorrowful look between their linked tails as they walked apart in opposite directions. Cyril had become thoroughly annoyed at his sudden newfound and apparent duty. He knew that the moment he left the corridor, doors would open, Dragons would emerge, and would just as quickly disappear into their partners room with nothing more than a flick of their tail to close the door behind them. His rule was weak, effectively, as by how easily everyone had agreed to his actions. It only further undermined his authority. Normally on an occasion like that, the Dragons would all argue in some response, asking for a reason to stay. Something wasn't right for the ice Guardian, and it was the Dragons all around him causing the problem. He needed to re-order his position, and enforce everything thrown at them. The Guardian had work to do.

Cyril sighed, his previous thought of the Dragons leaving their rooms to meet their partners seemed like an all too real situation. So the ice Guardian did what he never wanted to do. Permanent supervision was required if any form of order was to be established. And the only lace he was going to find help was from his fellow Guardians. Cyril lay down in his position, the ice Guardian had placed himself in the direct center of the curving hallway, allowing him to see from one end to the other. He thought to himself for a moment, he knew it didn't have to come to this, but something had to be done before any others considered blindly leaping into possible parenthood. It wasn't something the ice Guardian wanted for the Dragons, and it was something that had to be fixed. Cyril thought further about what needed to be done. The fighting had stopped completely between groups, which he supposed was a plus, but the cost of fighting would, without control, become a fight between couples over children. It would truly be the worst thing he ever had to face.

So then Cyril thought, he thought of a way to keep them from acting in such ways, yet still allow them freedom between themselves. It was going to be a long night for the Guardian, so he wanted to make use of it. His previous speech acknowledging their thoughts and impulses, that was something he wanted to now change, as by revealing that everything was normal for them to feel that way, he had allowed the Dragons to think that it would be okay to start mating together. Yes, Cyril would admit that it was a mistake on his behalf, although what shocked him more was that Volteer had failed to pick up on his words, possibly too busy to keep Flame in one place. But that wasn't the problem.

The ice Guardian had thought for hours on what would effectively be his correction speech on what he had said the previous day. It was already the next day for the ice Guardian, as midnight had already passed. Cyril's first assumptions on the young Dragon behavior had been exactly correct. One by one, each of the doors tried to open at least once, quickly having an icicle hurled towards it, which shattered on the door, immediately causing it to shut. Only three doors hadn't opened yet, they being Ember's, Cynder's, and Flame's. Cyril knew that Spyro and Cynder wouldn't awaken to move into the corridor, as they were allowed to sleep together. Spyro was the only dragon that Cyril could trust to not try and have a hatchling. Although, to the ice Guardians hatred to admit it, it was probably impossible for them anyway. He had thought about it many times, but could never come up with the right words for such bad news. For after Cynder had been possessed by the dark Master's magic, certain traits which had controlled her would never change. She would never be able to remove the shackles that were locked around her neck, forelegs, and tail. And she probably could never conceive an egg.

It pained Cyril to think of such problems, he had never wanted to tell the black Dragoness of her disabilities, no Guardian wanted to. Volteer had even gone to great lengths to try and reverse whatever magic had been done to the young Dragoness, but it was no use. There was a slight possibility that they might be able to reverse the effect Malefor's magic had on Cynder, but the Guardians believed it was too dangerous to attempt, just for one more Dragoness to be able to fall gravid. It was Spyro that held the key to letting Cynder conceive, but it was through a method that could very well destroy the entire planet. Cyril then noted to himself that Malefor would have know the secret to unlocking her, but he was dead. He would have to talk it over with Terrador and Volteer about it, and to never bring it up again. Some things were better off kept secret.

It was a very small chance, but Cyril believed that Flame would try to find him as soon as possible, even if it meant waiting until ember was asleep and then waking the Guardian. Cyril knew flame too well, for not a moment had passed since the thought went through his mind, when the crimson Dragon slowly emerged from Ember's room, unaware that the ice Guardian was watching him. Just as the lock on Ember's door clicked shut, flame turned around, only to find Cyril standing over him."Wha-!" The young Dragon started to shout out, only to find his mouth covered by the Guardians large paw.

"Keep it down." He whispered in a stern tone. Flame immediately calmed down, if not slightly. "Now, you have a lot of explaining to do before I even consider allowing you any inch of free space! I know what you two were doing in there, and I'll be damned if it's ever going to happen again! What were you thinking?"

"I-I- I don't know! I tried to go straight to you, honest! But Ember wouldn't let me… I- I couldn't resist! I tried, but before she allowed me any time to move, I was lost… You know what I mean right? I- I didn-" The ice guardian placed his paw over Flame's mouth again, holding his jaw shut. Flame knew that he had done wrong, but couldn't help himself. The voice I the back of his mind had taken control the moment Ember had kissed him.

Cyril sighed. "I know what you mean, but I don't want to talk about that. Regardless, what you did was wrong, and you obviously know it." Flame nodded quickly. "You do realize what could happen if Ember conceives?" The crimson Dragon nodded again, still with his jaw blocked by Cyril. "And you're going to stay with her through everything, aren't you?" Another quick nod from Flame. "Even, if by chance, Ember is now going to lay an egg?" The same reflex was all the fire Dragon did, not wanting to give the head Guardian any other reason to punish him. Cyril released Flame's jaw. "There, now you've seen me. And if ember doesn't see you when she wakes up, she won't be happy. Pray to the ancestors that she is not going to lay an egg, because if she does, you have much work ahead of you."

Cyril knew that forcing Flame away from her would only enrage her, and, on the off chance that she fell gravid, Cyril didn't want to cross her. The ice Guardian pulled the door open ajar, enough for Flame to step back inside the pink Dragoness' quarters. His immediate thought on what was going through Flame's head. Panic was definitely there, the crimson Dragon knew that he had done wrong, and, in his mind, was in more trouble than he had ever been in. Not even if he had fought alongside the dark master would flame think he had done more wrong. After destroying parts of the Dragon temple, causing mass destruction amongst the ranks by revealing Spyro and Cynder to the world, and going against the Guardians number one rule. The crimson Dragon was still allowed to stay with Ember, so he thought he had gotten off lucky, and that was an understatement.

Cyril sighed once more, the night was nearly over, and he thought that everything was going to happen had happened. The ice Guardian returned his attention to his laying position against the outside wall, watching for any Dragons looking for some last moment time alone. But thankfully, for now, none had emerged, though they had all tried at least once.

It had been a long night, but a productive one nonetheless for the head Guardian. He had gone over everything that needed addressing, and sorted out many of his problems, if not by chance. Problems still plagued the ice Guardians mind, and certain action would be required by how much Flame would get away with. Cyril had seemed to play favorites, but it was all he could do. Flame had gone above and beyond the others, regardless if he wanted to or not. Cyril figured that Ember would have started the advances, but he would figure that out tomorrow. The problem of Cynder's health had come up again too. The ice Guardian silently cursed himself for forgetting it, but he wasn't going to break such news to her just yet, and wouldn't do it so lightly either.

Down the hallway, Cyril heard the click of a lock, finding a door open ajar, promptly throwing another icicle towards it, causing the door to immediately shut. This caused the Ice Guardian to smile inwardly at himself. As tired as he was, the night was definitely one to remember. No doubt the day was going to be even worse. And although it was still a few hours until sunrise, Cyril knew that sleep wasn't going to be an option.


	18. Chapter 18 The Morning After

Daylight broke as the Sun filtered through the curtain and onto the Dragon couple that had spent the entire night against each other, but that didn't mean that everything was perfect for them. Spyro's thoughts from the previous day were still on his mind, but the decision was final. Cynder would say when she was ready to have a hatchling.

Cynder had her forelegs linked firmly around Spyro's chest as she had fallen asleep behind the purple savior. It was a different feeling for Spyro, to have the one he loved above all else held tightly against his back. It was a pleasant thought, and a moment that he didn't want to forget. After several moments of lying in peace, Spyro felt the black Dragoness behind him stir softly, and tighten her embrace around his muscular gold chest, which only brightened as the sun's rays reflected on them.

The black Dragoness took a deep breath, signaling to the male that she was awake, and pulled Spyro closer once more. "Good morning, my love," Cynder whispered softly. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong now?" She hadn't forgotten Spyro's saddened state from last night.

Spyro sighed. He didn't want to tell Cynder, and the fact that she had brought up the subject that early in the morning didn't give his mind a chance to come up with an excuse. Yet all those points aside, Cynder had Spyro in a vice-like grip, which only lowered his chances of getting away without saying anything. The purple male moved his body so that all four legs were against the floor, but as he shifted against Cynder's bed, she too followed, now lying atop Spyro, pressing with her hind legs to maintain enough balance not to fall.

"Spyro, I'm not letting you go until you tell me what's wrong. I know that you're not like this." Cynder pressed her wings down against Spyro's. "Spyro, please… What's wrong?"

Another loud sigh emanated from the purple Dragon. Cynder had given him no choice. Spyro rolled back onto his side, feeling Cynder return to her position as she was asleep. Spyro paused for a few moments. Wishing there was another way. "It's Flame… and Ember…"

Cynder immediately released her grip from Spyro. "What? Why would you be-" Cynder stopped, then the memory of Cyril leaving in a hurry came to mind. "Oh no, are thy still fighting?"

Spyro turned around to face Cynder. "No, it's not like that…" He paused a moment as Cynder's expression changed completely, and for a brief moment there was a hint of worry over the fact that ember would once more be coming after Spyro, which was one of Cynder's worst nightmares.

After another few moments of silence, Cynder leaned closer towards Spyro. "Please tell me."

"They were," Spyro paused for a moment after taking in a deep breath. "Mating."

Cynder pulled her head back at Spyro's words,. Her immediate thoughts were that they were finally together, but the problems that came to her mind was that they had the possibility to become parents. Cynder then thought of herself and Spyro, how she had thought over her situation and why she was holding out on wanting to have a hatchling of her own. Spyro had said not to.

Unbeknownst to either Dragon, they both had summed up their situations, and both secretly wanted to become parents. But both Dragons had held their tongues, as the other had said it would be better to wait rather than rush into a decision. Spyro knew that the moment he said that he wanted to have a hatchling Cynder would feel pressured to comply to his request without thinking about it so she wouldn't disappoint him. Likewise were Cynder's thoughts, believing that if she told Spyro, then he would only do it because she asked him to, not of free will.

There was an awkward moment of silence between the couple as they ran their thoughts of wanting to have a hatchling to call their own, believing that it was possible for Ember and Flame to become parents in their own right. Spyro got up from his position, helping Cynder to her feet with his forearm, and headed out the door without a word.

The morning itself had just begun, so most of the Temple would be asleep, or away from their quarters in some sort of early morning exercise which one small group of males had started, and quickly made a routine.

Spyro and Cynder casually walked down the corridor, not in any rush to go anywhere, but it was when they found Cyril lying directly opposite Ember's door that gave the two a worry. At first it looked like the ice Guardian had been attacked, but as Spyro took a step closer to see what happened, Cyril's head popped up, quickly followed by a yawn and the rest of his form turning to greet the young couple.

"Good morning Cynder, Spyro," He started in a strangely cheery tone of voice. Cynder gave Spyro a slight nudge with her form, as if to show off that Cyril had said her name first. "What brings you up this early? Dawn has just broken, do you have plans for today?"

"Uh, no… Not really…" Cynder quickly replied.

"Why were you lying in the corridor?" Spyro asked immediately after Cynder had finished. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing that you don't know already." Cyril replied after a half chuckle towards Spyro. "But I assure you, nothing will be as it was yesterday after I get through to everyone." The ice Guardians ever-so-serious tone returning.

"Umm, Cyril… she knows." Spyro muttered quietly as Cynder had shot him a glance from Cyril's last comment.

"I assumed that would would've happened." Cyril stepped towards the young black dragoness, who was pressed against Spyro like they had been for days. "Cynder, you must keep this quiet. Not even Volteer or Terrador must know of this. Keep it between you, me, and Spyro. Ember and Flame don't know that we know yet, and I would prefer to keep it that way." Cyril kept his composure and straight-forward attitude, knowing that flame had told him what happened. But, it would be kept quiet as long as the ice Dragon remembered who knew that. It was a big issue, but Cyril was convinced that flame wasn't going to act with Ember in such a way for a while.

"Why mustn't the other Guardians know?" Cynder asked quietly.

Cyril stepped back to a reasonable distance again, sighing in the process. "I asked myself that same question last night. But the way I see it, Volteer would only want to know more about them, along with innumerable amounts of tests, no doubt. And Terrador wouldn't allow the two to be anywhere near each other unless watched by someone else. So, I decided that they aren't to know anything about this. Hence the reason I want you to keep quiet."

Spyro glanced towards Cynder, understanding Cyril's argument completely, while Cynder, only having been in the Dragon Temple for several months, didn't know too much about the remaining Guardian's character. But, the point was made, everyone would keep quiet.

"Then what are we going to do about it?" Spyro spoke once more.

"I am going to do what anyone else in my position would do." The ice Guardian turned around and headed to the end of the corridor. "Correct what was my error in the beginning. But, for the moment, I'll let everybody sleep in for a while… Ancestors know I need it."

Both Spyro and Cynder looked at each other, then turned around and headed in the opposite direction of the head Guardian. There were some parts of his semi-speech that didn't make sense, but from what the two Dragons could gather, he had been up all night making sure nothing would go wrong in a last-ditch effort to try and correct the problems he had created.

Flame awoke late in the morning, finding himself flat on his back, with ember lying on top of him. After Flame had spoken with Cyril that morning, the young Dragon returned to his bed, and fell asleep beside the one he would spend the rest of his life with. _I guess that Ember woke up last night too._ The male Dragon thought to himself. He stretched his neck out, figuring out where his limbs were according to Ember's. Eventually, the fire Dragon rolled to his side, and eased Ember onto the bed beside him. Flame pulled one of his paws away from Ember and lightly brushed the back of a talon along the pink Dragoness's forehead, following the ridge of her horns.

He couldn't believe it, the Dragon he had been chasing for longer than he had been alive for, was finally lying next to him, on her bed, in his arms. And one word described them. Mates. Weeks ago, Flame would have only dreamt of a situation like this, yet, now it was happening, something didn't feel right. Granted, they had spent their first night together as a couple giving the single most important thing to each other. Again, to flame it was a dream come true, but reality quickly caught up with the young dragon, and that was the inevitable consequences of his actions. Of course, flame had no plans on becoming a father at all in the near future, but it had been on his mind once or twice in the last few weeks. All Dragons in the Temple had the thought of bearing a hatchling, and bringing life to the world. But what duty would it have entailed is why the young fire Dragon was concerned.

Flame slowly lowered his hand from his mate's head and returned it to just below her foreleg once more, causing the pink Dragoness to sigh heavily and pull him closer to her. Although it wasn't the most Ideal of terms, Flame couldn't care less. He had Ember, and that was all he could ever hope for.

The fire Dragon closed his eyes and joined his mate in sleep, knowing fully well that Cyril would know how to control the situation and keep his secret. Everything would go back to normal.

"I have called all of you here today to address a problem that has made itself known over the past few days." Cyril stood before every other living Dragon in the temple, besides Flame and ember, who, after repeated attempts, wouldn't 'wake up', in Cyril's words. So, for every other Dragon gathered, they all figured that Ember and Flame were finally together, or, being held at the other's whim. The only three that knew exactly what was going on were Spyro, Cynder, and Cyril. Terrador and Volteer had inquired after the whereabouts of Flame and Ember, but received nothing on the subject in response. If nothing was said here, then the remaining two Guardians would figure out what was going on trough other means.

"I know what I said the other day was understanding and lenient. But certain… _Actions_, have been brought to my attention. You all know that both flame and Ember aren't here, and it is nothing to be alarmed about. I am dealing with them like I would anyone else standing before me. But they are none of your concern. I know I said before that if you wanted to live in the same room as your partner that you were to consult us about it and negotiate from there. That is no longer an option. Each night there will be a seal put on your doors that will not be lifted until morning. Any Dragon caught in another's room at any time during the day, without a valid reason, will face an incredibly humiliating punishment." Volteer and Terrador glanced between each other, then towards the younger occupants of the Temple, who were doing the same thing. No one could believe what they were hearing.

"I am not trying to drive you apart, but there are some rules and guidelines that aren't practical enough to suit your lifestyles at this moment. I am willing to return everything back to the way it was, if you can all show me that there is some self-control among you. You all know exactly what I am trying to prevent, and you will thank me for it later. Because nothing is done to prevent you from making your own mistakes, there wouldn't be enough of you left to carry out what must be done in the future." The ice Guardian glanced towards Spyro. "We just can't leave it up to one Dragon again."

Cyril turned around and headed off through one of the many corridors that led to, and away from, the main foyer, making his way to a set of stairs around the corner. Only to have Terrador and Volteer take off moments behind him. All the remaining Dragons just sat still in the foyer, not sure what was going on, other than the fact that they wouldn't be able to do anything at night, unless it was by themselves.

"What are you doing Cyril? Are we trying to empty the Temple?" Volteer almost shouted, chasing after the Guardian. "If you keep making up rules like that, they will all head off for Warfang by the next season!"

"And who says that is such a bad thing, Volteer?" Cyril countered back. "Yes, I have a duty to help them reach their full potential in more than one way. But we are all that's left of our kind, and the further we spread, the better it will be in the long run."

"But they're practically hatchlings! You can't expect them to fend for themselves out there on a daily basis!"

"They are old enough to know what's right and what's wrong. Many, if not all of them fought in the war against Malefor. Warfang isn't the worst place a young Dragon could be living in. And sometimes, it's better for them to find their own feet. We can't always be there for them. When a battle is lost, there won't always be one of us to help them."

"The only one who is strong enough to go out on his own is Spyro. And that's because Cynder would always be beside him!" Volteer continued. "They won't always be able to live in a pack."

"I know that, but that's the idea. They know what is right now, and they are all the stronger. Sure, they all have their weaknesses, but there isn't anything out there to hurt us anymore. Not in Avalar anyway. And we have allies that are scattered all throughout the land. Surely ridding the world of evil will be enough for them to consider welcoming our kind amongst them."

Terrador had been strangely quiet for the whole discussion. Which was strange, for the earth Guardian, when not screaming at young Dragons in a training exercise, was always very talkative. He spoke up now, surprising Volteer as he stepped between the two. "I agree with Cyril on this, Volteer. All the Dragons down there have their strengths and weaknesses. And they all know exactly what they're capable of. If some want to leave and live in a group on their own, let them be. We aren't going to be able to keep tabs on them forever." Volteer looked out the window as they continued to talk. "But if they make a wrong choice while they're her, at least we would be able to guide them accordingly."

"They know enough to survive, Volteer. We can't teach them life."


	19. Chapter 19 Public Display

The head Guardian's words had left the entire audience at a loss for words. There was so much that the entire Dragon populace didn't know how to react to the new rules, that the population didn't know whether or not to revoke, or ignore the newly-set guidelines, and after spending several minutes in complete silence, the Dragons slowly left in two's to the main foyer to resume their daily activities. But, instead of heading to either one's room, the respective couples left the temple and headed off into the vast forest that surrounded the Temple itself. Finding their own little sanctuary away from the others they lived with proved to be an easy task. Spyro and Cynder however, headed back through the corridors towards Cynder's room, as Spyro still hadn't been repaired since Flame had broken it down the other day. On the bright side though, Spyro had gone in and cleaned his room out, organizing everything with the help of Cynder, and it looked much nicer to the purple Dragon's eye.

"Wait Spyro, are you sure we're allowed to do this?" Cynder had taken a seat at her bed, watching as Spyro decided whether or not he should join his future mate.

"Cyril said it himself, _'I trust you enough to be able to stay together'_." Spyro tried his best to impersonate the ice Guardian's voice. "Besides, when was the last time Cyril actually punished someone for their first mistake?" The purple Dragon stepped towards Cynder and lay down at her side, draping one of his wings over her in the process.

"As long as you're sure, Spyro. I don't plan on doing anything 'terribly humiliating' in the near future." Cynder slowly dropped her head onto the bed, Spyro quickly following beside her. Cynder took a deep sigh and licked Spyro's cheek. "It certainly makes you think, doesn't it?"

"What does?"

"Well, If Flame and Ember are now mates, I wonder how much differently they will act towards each other."

"It shouldn't be any different to how we act towards each other now, Cyn."

"But what if… I mean, when were mates, something changes between us."

"I wouldn't change a thing Cynder. And when it comes to that day, we'll both be ready for it." Spyro returned Cynder's affection with a lick of his own, both Dragons drifting into silence as voices echoed faintly down the corridor.

"Now Volteer, Terrador. Isn't this better? The Temple is dead silent. Nothing can happen here without us knowing about it." Cyril lead the other two Guardians around the long sweeping corridor of rooms.

"But who will stop them from acting inappropriately outside?" Volteer replied.

"Nothing can happen outside because they are all exposed to the elements. Every one of those Dragons hate being watched above all else. And while they're outside, everything is open to the world, which should prevent anything from happening." The other two Guardians had to admit, Cyril had really thought his rules through quite thoroughly, There really was nothing that could happen without them knowing about it. "Now all we have to do is inform Flame and Ember of the new arrangements." Not a moment later were all three Guardians standing in front of Flame's door. "Hmmm." Cyril stopped. "Do either of you recall Spyro or Cynder leaving the Temple?" When neither Guardian shook their heads in affirmative, Cyril said. "Terrador, Volteer, you tell Ember and Flame of the new arrangements, I need to check up on a few things."

The remaining two Guardians glance towards each other with a knowing smile, before knocking on the door in front of them. "Flame, ember… We need to talk to you for a moment…"

Cyril strolled down the corridor with his now regular up-beat tone, trying to remember if either Spyro or Cynder had actually left the Temple like the others. It took the head Guardian several minutes to reach the final room in the corridor, and he wasn't surprised to see Spyro or Cynder laying on the bed when he thrust the door open. "Well, Spyro Cynder. It seems what I said earlier didn't get through to you."

Spyro immediately stood up. You told us yourself the other day that it was fine for us to be like this ever since Flame broke down my door. You said that until it was repaired I could stay with Cynder."

"Not every room in this corridor is occupied, Spyro." The head Guardian watched as the purple Dragon stepped towards him. "And here was me thinking that at least you would have followed my rules."

"Cyril, don't punish Cynder for this. It was my idea, and my fault. Do whatever you have planned with me, not her."

"Hmmm, so very noble of you Spyro." The ice guardian turned and exited Cynder's room. "But unfortunately for you, even if one couple breaks a rule, they both have to suffer."Cyril paused just as his tail left the black Dragoness's room. "And Spyro, that means you will have to leave her room, now."

The purple Dragon glance towards Cynder. "I'm sorry Cyn… I should have listened to you."

The black Dragoness didn't bother with a reply as Spyro left her sight and started talking with Cyril once more. Cynder didn't really blame or hate Spyro for what he had brought upon them, she just wished he had listened to her more often than not. Although, she too would have gone against her word if given the opportunity. It wasn't an issue that should be played around with, but sometimes Cyril pushed his power a little too far.

"Prepare yourself Spyro." The ice Guardian said to Spyro. "You and Cynder have quite the presentation to practice."

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll find out soon enough Spyro. But don't you worry, the entire Temple will be there to cheer you on." The Ice Guardian gave a slight chuckle.

For the first time ever, Spyro felt like flat out telling him no. But even if he did, Spyro was not old enough to take on Cyril without a good advantage. Since he didn't want to hurt the larger Dragon and the fact that Cyril would have Volteer and Terrador with him as well, they could make him do whatever they wanted. "So we're going to have to a play in front of the entire Temple? What's so hard about that?"

"It's either you both do the same thing, or you each go out separately to each respectable group."

"Each group? What are you talking about?"

"Tomorrow, Spyro. Everything will be revealed for both you and Cynder."

Everything was peacefully quiet. The sun had just set, and the final meal of the day had been eaten. Spyro and Cynder had regrouped and promptly left the Temple just moments after. The purple Dragon relayed everything Cyril told him, and both decided that it would e better to get it over and done with together rather than by one. No others knew about Spyro and Cynder's predicament. All they knew, as by Cyril's announcement at evening meal time, was there would be another meeting of the entire Temple next morning. Both Spyro and Cynder assumed that was when their punishment would take place. However strange as it might be.

Flame and ember spent the entire day together. After being removed from Ember's room and being informed of the new rules, they too took off away from the Temple and found their own little spot in the forest away from the others. As strange as it was, Ember had changed completely from the previous day. After 'thanking' Flame for everything he had done for her, the pink Dragoness was more than happy to oblige to anything her secret mate came up with.

Everything was actually functioning well within the Dragon Temple despite the extreme lengths the three Guardians reached to make sure nothing happened between the seemingly countless couples within the Dragon Temple. But Cyril himself was surprised that both Volteer and Terrador didn't inquire as to what happened last night between Flame and ember. But that was irrelevant either way because it couldn't be reversed. All Cyril, Flame, and ember could hope for was that their actions didn't have a consequence. That ember would remain childless and Flame wouldn't be a father just yet. That much all three would be thankful for. Also both Flame and Ember were grateful about the fact that both Volteer and Terrador were obvious to the fact of their relationship, meaning there wouldn't' be a bombardment of questions from them.

After Cyril had addressed the task of another meeting of all the other Dragons, both Flame and ember were approached by several other couples inquiring as to what happened last night, and all of them received the same answer. The two had apparently got into a fight between themselves, which was why Cyril was shot at with fireballs each time he tried to open the door. After that they both collapsed exhausted when everything had come out. Everything they had kept secret from each other the entire time the war had been over. Both Flame and Ember knew it was an elaborate lie, but everyone else seemed to accept it nonetheless. Because it was the only answer they gave to anyone, which strengthened the chance of others believing it. Although both flame and ember were surprised that neither Spyro, nor Cynder had asked about what happened last night. Although, then again they hadn't seen the two all day, it was likely that the thought had never crossed their minds. Not that it bothered them either way. Flame knew that only Cyril knew of what happened. And ember thought it was a complete secret to the world. The elaborate tangle of lies was holding well, and neither party was even considering telling the world. Not until it was going to be official anyway.

As the night wore on, and all the Dragons were inside their own quarters, Spyro excluded, as he was given a new room until his old one was repaired, all doors were sealed shut, and the Guardians headed off to their own places of refuge. It had been a very long day for Cyril, who wanted nothing more than to reach his bed. It had been two full days since the ice Guardian had received any substantial sleep. And at the moment, he looked forward to nothing more than sleeps embrace.

The sun rose over the horizon, revealing the Dragon Temple to the world once more, and not a moment after the sun's rays reached the highest pillar had all doors unlocked and allowed free movement of each young Dragon living within.

It took several hours after dawn for everyone to be assembled in the main foyer once more. No one knowing exactly why they were called back here again so soon, other than the Guardians, Spyro, and Cynder. But the young couple wondered what the ice Guardian had planned for both as the 'terribly humiliating' action that Spyro and Cynder believed to be a show of some sorts. Although nothing Spyro could come up with fit anything the Guardians were doing at the time. He was truly afraid at what he and Cynder might have to do. But either way, the sooner it was over the better.

"Is everyone here?" Cyril asked towards the gathered crowd, and after doing a quick once-over glance of the population, Cyril believed that everyone was indeed gathered before him. Terrador and Volteer were standing off to one side, wondering what the ice Guardian had planned. They both knew that Spyro and Cynder were involved, they just didn't know what Cyril had planned for them. "Now, for the most part, I am greatly pleased at watching you all get out once in a while and enjoy the scenery." There was a slight grumble from the crowd at that last comment. "But unfortunately, not all of you could follow the rules entirely. There was one couple that decided to stay indoors for the day, and just as proof that I am completely serious about this issue, I would like to ask Spyro and Cynder to step up here."

Both Dragons glanced towards each other, and slowly made their way up to the elevated platform where Cyril stood. Once the two stood there beside him, the ice Guardian lowered his head and whispered to them. "So, have you both reached a decision?"

"We both agree that it would be better to get it over and done with together."

"Good, that means I don't have to come up with another reason for making this gathering." The ice Guardian stepped towards the edge of the platform and looked over the Dragon populace. "Now, as I am trying to prevent anything inappropriate from happening between you all, I have decided to make everything much clearer for you all. At least we have two models to provide accurate demonstrations on what not to do."

Both Spyro and Cynder looked at each other is shock. "Surely he doesn't mean that we have to…"

"Show everyone what you shouldn't be doing? Of course that's what I mean." Cyril interrupted the purple Dragon. "I said that the punishments for breaking the rules would be terribly humiliating, and what better way to tell the others what not to do than with a demonstration. This way they know exactly what I am talking about."

"So you want us to mate on stage?" Cynder refused to believe the word coming out of her mouth.

"No, of course not. That's what I'm trying to stop. I'm sure Spyro can control himself. It's either you do this, or you'll be doing things one at a time. And believe me, you don't want to know what you have to do then."

"This is crazy! No way am I going to pretend to mate with Cynder!" Spyro's outburst was far from discreet.

"Look, Spyro. You can either do this now, or you can do it tomorrow. Only difference is, if you do it tomorrow, you will be alone. Either way, you aren't getting out of this unpunished."

"You can't be serious about this Cyril!"

"Oh, shut up Spyro." Cynder said. "It's your fault were in this mess, so let's just get it over with. It might not be so bad anyway." Lowering her voice to a whisper and leaning close to Spyro, she said, "Besides, I've wanted to know what this would be like for a while now."

"Y-you have?" Cynder nodded slightly.

"Ever since we spent that first night together." Cynder took a step back from Spyro and turned to face the other way, if not only slightly.

After the sudden revelation by Spyro, he struggled to keep his composure. He had obviously wanted the same thing from her, but had said he wanted to wait. Under the strength of willpower, Spyro managed to contain himself and stood lightly beside Cynder, his shoulders at her hind legs. The purple Dragon tok a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Shutting everything out of his mind but Cynder and himself, Spyro pushed off his forelegs and rested himself on Cynder's back. Cynder dropped slightly at the sudden increase in weight, but held firm, pushing back against Spyro's weight as if it were natural to her. Spyro shifted his forepaws onto her shoulders and pushed into her with his hind legs, if not just purely by instinct. But the purple Dragon's will held strong as he managed to suppress every urge that came to him. His mind was blocked off from the rest of the outside world, ignoring everything but Cynder underneath him, and his complete will to remain true to his words.

Cynder just stood firm. She knew that there were differences between this 'demonstration' and if it were actually happening. If they were to mate, Cynder would have moved her tail to one side or curved it up completely. She would have pushed back against Spyro to counteract the forces he was pushing towards her. Cynder would have done any number of things to make this feel at least a little less put-on, and more natural to her. But, for the moment, it would do.

Spyro was still detached from the world. All he had to do was mount Cynder and supposedly hold that position until something was said or Cynder moved away from him. The purple male hoped that Cynder would move away from him because all his attention was placed elsewhere.

"Alright, that's enough you two." Cyril finally spoke, causing Cynder to step forward, much to Spyro's relief. After walking a near-complete circle, Cynder rubbed herself against her future mate's side, an alluring growl escaping her at the same time.

"Now, I did this for two reasons. One is that I am serious about these rules, and the punishments will become worse and worse as each offending couple is caught. Secondly, it was because you are equals now. There is nothing different between you, Spyro, and myself. There will be no special treatment to anyone living in this Temple." Cyril waved off Spyro and Cynder, who turned away and left the foyer via the back entrance.

"Cynder…" Spyro said quietly. "I'm sorry I had to put you through that."

"Don't be." Was her quick reply. "As I said before, I always wanted to know what that would have felt like for us to actually mate. Although that is hardly something to go off of, I wouldn't have known what I needed to do to compensate for when you're on me." Cynder blushed slightly, and Spyro had finally found out to look for the slight discoloring along her cheek to know she was blushing, and gave her a lick on the mouth. She blushed even harder at that, and said, " Besides, all I had to do was stand there. It would have been much harder for you than it was for me."

Spyro turned his head away and smiled slightly, his self control being stretched once more. "You don't know the half of it."


	20. Chapter 20 Mine

There was a wide variety of expressions on the faces of the gathered Dragons. Not only were they shocked at what they had just seen, but some Dragons had a similar thought to the one Cynder had just moments ago. Most of the female population who had chosen a male wondered what it would be like to be 'mounted', per say. Yet, most of the males felt an envy for Spyro, albeit this time not for his coloring. Although it was in public and watched by their peers, most of the males wanted to do the same thing they had just witnessed. In private, of course. None of them would be able to control themselves enough to do it in public.

"Now, I had this take place as a warning to the rest of you," Cyril noticed the Dragon's expressions and knew that more action wound need to be taken. "I guarantee to all of you that this particular punishment will never happen again. But if any of you are caught, outside specific instruction, like that then things will only get worse. Have I made myself clear?" The ice Guardian knew that it would happen. But it was the best he could do at the time.

There was a low grumble from the crowd, signifying that they had heard, and understood the head Guardian's instructions. But knowing the rules and abiding by them were two completely different things.

The dragon population slowly dissipated from the main foyer and off to their daily activities. Nothing. So, two by two, the young dragons left the Temple and found their own little places out in the wilderness just out of sight of the others. Not all decided to leave the Temple immediately, opting to stay indoors for a while socialize amongst themselves.

"Hey Spyro!" the purple Dragon was walking by himself down one of the countless corridors within the Dragon Temple. He turned around slowly to find Flame running up behind him. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Umm, yeah sure. What Is it?" Spyro was heading towards Cynder's room, as that was where they had agreed to meet. Outside of her door, of course, considering what they had to do from the first incident. If that was the first level of reprimand from the head Guardian, both Spyro and Cynder wanted nothing more of it.

"I need to talk to you privately about Ember…" Flame looked back down the corridor to make sure she hadn't followed him. "I don't think I have long, But I don't want to have to find you privately every time something happens."

Spyro paused for a moment, thinking about what Flame had said._ Every time something happens._ _Is he going to tell me that he mated with Ember? Why would he do that? Does he know already?_ This time Spyro looked behind himself, looking for a phantom listener. "What happens?"

"Last night ember and I were talking. And unless you talk to Cynder and try to sort things out, she would never be able to talk with you again. Ember knows that you and I used to spend a lot of time together when we were younger, and that I will still wan to see you occasionally." Flame quickly darted his head behind him once more, seeing the tip of a Dragon's tail pull itself back behind cover.

"So you want me to talk to Cynder about Ember? And try to settle what's between them?" Spyro concluded.

"Yes, exactly. I know that Ember will take some convincing, but she acknowledges that I will want to talk to you, and sometimes we'll walk passed each other with them."

"I don't know if I'm ready to forgive Ember yet, let alone Cynder. But, I'll talk to her about it. Ember must apologize for what she did, and then we might consider forgiving her. But for the moment, all I can do is talk to Cynder about it." Spyro turned around and head back on his way. "Find me again tomorrow to tell me if Ember is willing to accept that she was in the wrong. But otherwise I can't do anything about it."

Spyro walked off back down the corridor, the thought of forgiving Ember running through his mind._ She wasn't trying to do everything on purpose… Was she?_ _Surely she didn't want to kill Cynder…_ Spyro was conflicted. Yes, he wanted to forgive Ember and allow everyone's lives to go back to normal. But this was the Dragon who had almost killed the one that now claims to be his mate. Wants to be his mate. The wish to be able to talk to anyone and have there be no tension between them, against all common sense that he would be forgiving the one who could've been called a murderer. But. He too, was a murderer, just in a different case.

But that was the past. Spyro had more than enough to think about for the time being. Between trying to figure out whether or not he could easily forgive Ember for what she had done to Cynder, and, remembering not to try and make any move towards the thought of wanting to have hatchlings with Cynder at the same time. There was more than enough on his mind to begin with, let alone this being added to it. The purple savior took a deep breath and sighed as he turned and rounded the final corridor on his journey to Cynder's room. Nothing would be said unless the time was right. Flame would find him tomorrow with the answer on whether or not Ember would even consider apologizing over what she had done. After that, Spyro would have to convince Cynder to… _No! I won't influence Cynder's answer. I need to stick to her and not put any pressure on her decision._ Spyro reached the end of the corridor and stood facing Cynder's room._ It was her that received the attacks, not me. She needs all the support I can give her._ And with that, Spyro silenced the thoughts in his mind, and reached out with a forepaw to knock on the door.

The black Dragoness was lazily hanging off the edge of her bed. Cynder was lying on her back, her head and shoulders resting on her bed as the rest of her body hung limp towards the center of her room. Her tail flicked idly from side to side, her legs stretched out to either side, allowing her to breath deeper and relax further still. She was staring at the ceiling, just watching the world go by. She had told Spyro to get her from her room after she had run ahead of him after the 'display', Cynder had only spoken a few words while she ran ahead. Only just quiet enough for herself to hear it, so she knew Spyro wouldn't have any idea what she said. Which was exactly what she wanted.

It wasn't the nicest thing she could have done for him, but it seemed to work, as the black Dragoness had some time to relax and feel nothing for the time being. There was no rush to see what was happening with wh. There was no pressure to have to abide by so many rules at once. _Well, maybe not that one so much…_ She thought to herself, wondering what exactly she could still do with Spyro. But there wasn't much else that she could still do with Spyro anyway. He had made it clear that they wouldn't want to move into their relationship any further until they both agreed it was the right thing to do._ Or if we just wanted to…_ Cynder added to her thoughts again. But there wasn't much else she could do. She didn't want to say anything about it because Spyro would undoubtedly comply with her requests, no matter how insane it may seem. He would do anything for her if she just asked. _I really am lucky to have him…_ Cynder thought to herself. It was still a little surreal to her that the purple Dragon was her future mate. But that was the problem. Spyro was her_ future_ mate, therefore making him available to anyone who could change his- _NO! Spyro loves me. He wouldn't do that._

There were three taps on the female's door. "Spyro?" She questioned towards the noise.

"Cynder, are you coming out?" The unmistakable voice of the purple Dragon forced its way through the door.

The black Dragoness rolled onto her side , hiding herself from the world once more, and walked herself slowly towards the door, opening it the moment it was within reach. "Of course I am…" Cynder walked passes Spyro, running the flat side of her tail down his body as she passed. "What took you so long?"

"Uh, nothing." Spyro covered. As it was still a liable excuse, Cynder only giggled back at him.

The two Dragons stood facing each other for a moment until Spyro shut Cynder's door. "C'mon. we'll go to the cave you dug out. Surely none of the other Dragon's found it."

"I certainly hope not." Spyro answered as the two started back down the corridor. "It took me forever to-"

"I know Spyro, you told me." Cynder said with a smile. Spyro only chuckled back.

"Hey! Flame! Is it true? Did it happen?" The crimson Dragon turned around to find three separate Dragonesses bound towards him. One was a brilliant emerald along her head and and back with a lighter green along her chest, the second was ice blue with a white chest, and the third was a bright orange with a golden chest.

_How do they know that I… Cyril told them! Or someone knows and told the others… Oh crap, this can't get out… "_W-what happened?" he stammered out, trying to act obvious.

"You were just talking to Spyro weren't you?" The ice blue one questioned. "Did anything… _Interesting _come out while you two talked?"

"Uhh, no…" Flame started to turn back around. "I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry right now, can yo-"

"Someone's hiding something from us…" The orange Dragoness commented. But Flame continued to turn around and ignored it. "You're idea didn't work Safri. So I'll do it my way."

The orange Dragoness leapt over Flame and landed directly before him. "I really have to go-" Flame protested.

"I'll only be a minute. Now tell me. Is Spyro _truly_ with Cynder or not?"

Flame took a step back and sighed inwardly. Word hadn't gotten out about Ember and himself. "Is that al you wanted to know?" He questioned, making sure his previous thought was a correct one. The orange Dragoness only nodded, giving a quick wink to the other two females. "No, Spyro and Cynder haven't mated yet. Or at least he hasn't told me anyway."

"So, you'd say that Spyro is… _Available?" _She tried to confirm.

"No… Well, in the way you put it, I guess so. But now, it's not going to happen." Flame didn't really think about it. He knew that Spyro loved Cynder, and nothing could get in the way of them. But all he wanted at the moment was to get back to Ember. "Now, if you don't mind…" Flame motioned to move past the Dragoness.

"Not at all…" she replied, sidestepping to allow the fire Dragon through. "Thank you, Flame!" She called back, re-joining her friends and walking off in the opposite direction.

The crimson Dragon continued on his way towards the main foyer, which was where he had arranged to meet Ember. Mainly for the same reason everyone else was outside. To avoid Cyril's ever-present watch and his outlandish idea of what punishment involved.

But, nonetheless, it worked. And the Guardians couldn't be happier with everything they had worried about being prevented. Which was the best thing any of them could have hoped for. The young dragons were happy, because they were able to remain in contact with each other all day, any day. While the Guardians enjoyed the fact that they'd prevented what would have undoubtedly become an epidemic know as parenthood. And although no signs were present yet, Ember still hadn't proved that she was, or wasn't bearing an egg. It was possible for a Dragon to become a parent out of season. Granted it was an unlikely scenario and rare even amongst couples who tried, it still wasn't unheard of.

"Ember…" The ice Guardian spoke, seeing the pink Dragoness lying against the wall in the main foyer. "I trust that you are waiting for Flame." He commented as he scanned the area for onlookers.

"I told him to meet me here after he was done. He said he had something to do…" She spoke clearly, eventually working her way up to a vertical base.

"How long have you been waiting here?"

"Not long."

"Did he say what he was going to do?"

"No."

Cyril continued to close the distance between Ember and himself, unsure of how to asses her condition. "Ember, I need to talk to you about what happened between you and Flame." Sometimes the best approach was the most direct one.

"Huh? What? What are you talking about?" Ember took a step back, running into the wall in the process.

"Ember, I know that you and Flame mated the night before." Cyril was surprised that Flame hadn't told her that he knew. Although it wasn't exactly the best thing for her to know given the circumstances.

"B-But… How? Who told you? Who else knows? Does that mean you'll make us-"

"Ember, calm down." The ice Guardian lowered his head down to her level. "Flame told me everything the night it happened. No, I won't make you do anything because I am the only Guardian who knows about it. I have told those who do know about it to not say anything."

"Then who? Who else knows?" Ember took a step forward, towards the head Guardian. "And how do they know in the first place?"

Cyril sighed heavily and returned to his normal height. "I will tell you everything once Flame arrives, and even then I don't like having this conversation here." Cyril scanned the area once more. "Come to my quarters when Flame arrives. This needs to be settled now before something comes up that we can't fix."

"What do you mean 'fix'?" Ember questioned as the ice Guardian had turned around and headed off towards his chamber.

"I'll explain later. Just… Ember, we settle this now, or I get Volteer and Terrador on it."

Ember recoiled, understanding the situation. There was nothing she could do about it. "I-I'll be up shortly…"

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

"Oh, Spyro…" A voice called out from behind Spyro and Cynder, causing him to turn around and cease any further movement. Cynder growled at the voice, knowing instantly what was about to happen. Spyro lifted his nose into the air and sniffed.

"Mmmm, Cynder… Do you smell that?" He spoke softly, sitting down and enjoying the many scents that tickled his senses.

"No… Why should ?" She fairly angrily answered back. But she received no answer. After a few moments she turned around and understood why. Spyro just sat there, sniffing the air. Cynder knew exactly what was happening. It was common knowledge that some males became completely incapacitated by the scent of a female either in heat, or at a certain level of arousal. Unless of course they had already been claimed as a mate by another. It seemed the act of mating dulled the sense of a Dragons lust for others. As they had already found the one whom they meant to remain with for the rest of their days.

Spyro lay down in the middle of the hallway and continued to sniff the air, his Dragonhood slowly finding itself exposed t the world. Cynder shook her head slightly, but there was nothing to be done about it. He was 'unclaimed' in the entire sense of the word. But he did belong to her if she had anything to say about it. The black Dragoness walked down the corridor, leaving Spyro by himself. She knew that nothing bad could happen to him because everyone else was outside. Cynder only thought that it was clear that Spyro had chosen her. But some just never learn.

Eventually reaching an open door, Cynder found three Dragonesses sitting amongst each other. One had all four of her limbs tied to four different objects in the room and her lower body drenched in a pool of it's own liquids. She had been tied in such a way that she was exposed to the world, while one of the remaining two tended to the helpless one, the third stood at the door cooing out Spyro's name for him to come to the voice.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" Cynder growled towards the two upright Dragons. Cynder figured that the tied up female was less than capable of standing up, let alone causing any problem.

""Were taking back what was rightfully ours to begin with. You don't mean anything to him! See how easy it was for us to reduce him to that?" The orange Dragoness was standing at the door, she looked out and pointed with her snout towards Spyro in the process. "And might I say, he will feel just right inside me…"

Cynder whipped around quickly and held her tail blade against the Dragoness's throat, just cutting into her scales enough to draw blood. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't end your life right now!"

"Because if you did… Spyro wouldn't know what it's like to be with a real queen." Cynder growled harshly towards the orange Dragoness. "Well? What are you going to do Cynder?" The black Dragoness released the tension she held against the orange Dragoness's neck. "I knew it. You were never meant to be with Spyro. You won't even stand up for him when –"

Nobody ever found out what she was about to say. Cynder shot her forelegs forward, slashing into the other Dragoness's chest and leaving deep gashes, while whipping her tail up and cutting the orange Dragoness's foreleg all the way down her body to the base of her tail, before smashing the end of her tail blade against the orange Dragon's skull, knocking her out cold in only seconds. She fell backwards, the perfect cut on her side immediately starting to ooze blood. It wasn't fatal, the Guardians would never allow that, but it would hurt like hell once she woke up. Cynder stood facing the green Dragoness, who stood before the tied up blue Dragoness.

Cynder glanced towards the dead-still orange Dragoness, then back towards the emerald. "You have two choices." Cynder spoke coldly. "You can either fight me, and end up like your friend, or you can help her, and quite possibly save her life." The emerald Dragoness visibly gulped. "Either way, I'll be leaving with Spyro at my side."

The Emerald Dragoness changed into a defensive stance. "You know that he doesn't want you. See how easy it was for us to reduce him to that?" She motioned outside, Cynder knowing exactly what she meant.

"Anyone could have done that if they wanted to, if you weren't still wasting your time I could've done it if I wanted to… But the bottom line is that He's mine, and nothing is going to change that."

"So be it. Go see Spyro and try to move him. It won't be as easy as you think." The Emerald Dragoness stood up, and turned to untie her friend, slicing through the ropes much faster than it took to tie them.

Cynder cautiously turned around and headed towards the doo, stepping around the pool of blood that was rapidly spreading over the stone floor. The black Dragoness took one step outside the door, when she heard an object flying through the air, causing her to duck and stab out with her tail. Which probably saved her from serious injury, as the emerald Dragoness had leapt atop Cynder's shoulders, trying to tear deep gashed into her. Cynder, however had already stabbed outward with her tail, gutting it deep into the emerald Dragoness's shoulder. But even still, she managed to leap onto Cynder's back and tear several deep scratches. Cynder managed to roll over and throw her off. She whirled around to face her attacker.

"I should've dropped you where you stood." She growled, assessing the damage done to her shoulders. "But now, you've sealed your own fate."

"You can't change facts, Cynder. Spyro will be mine before the day's end."

Cynder roared towards the emerald Dragoness, who side-stepped and tried to land an attack of her own, only swinging at nothing and catching only air. Cynder landed and turned around only to find her emerald enemy flying towards her. Cynder ducked underneath and held up her tail, catching the other Dragoness's right legs. The emerald Dragoness yelped in pain and crashed into the hard stone, sliding several feet before hitting the wall face first. She tried to stand back up, but only had her side give out under her.

Cynder walked towards the defeated Dragoness, but kept well out of swinging range. "I am going to say this once, and once only. Spyro is mine. He always was mine. And he always will be, mine. If you ever try to take him from me again, the only thing you'll see is my blade, right between your eyes." As a reminder, Cynder thrust her tail blade into the nearby bed, thrusting it more than a foot into the wood. "Got it?"


	21. Chapter 21 Confirmation

"I don't know what to do with the two of you. There is so much that I can't find out, but I have to because that's what I do!" Cyril was pacing back and forth before a seated Flame and Ember. "It has only been two days since the… 'incident'… And you have had no signs of hatchlings, right?" Ember shook her head, nothing for her had been out of the ordinary over the past few days. "That's good, I suppose. But it can take anywhere ip to a week for signs to emerge."

"Why does it matter if I'm to have hatchlings? They would be mine and I would care for them like I wanted when I was young. Flame will always be there and they wouldn't have to leave the Dragon Temple for any reason until I think they're ready." Ember thought she had a valid point.

"Yes, you could look after them, but in the process your hatchlings would be surrounded by every Dragon living here, smothered within an inch of their lives."

"They wouldn't leave my room fo-"

"And you would have Volteer poking in every few minutes to make sure that everything was fine."

"He would leave me alone after a few-"

"And what about Flame? If you do lock yourself into your room, he would be carting supplies and food to your room and back again." Ember lowered her head, understanding that not everything would be as simple as she thought. "I'm not trying to put you off about having Hatchlings Ember," Ember muttered under her breath a few incoherent words. "But were just not ready for them."

"We? Who's we?" Flame questioned.

"All of us. Whether it be you, Ember, myself, the other Guardians, and everyone else living here. If hatchlings were introduced here, then this whole place would fall apart. Because the moment one set comes in, another two get created, because everyone thinks like Ember did just a few moments ago." Cyril sighed heavily and turned away. "There are some tests I could do to check If Ember is Gravid, and it would put us all at ease. But the only one who knows how to do it properly is Volteer."

"Then it won't be done. It's not like I wont feel something inside me." Ember stood up, Flame immediately following suit.

"But by then it would be too late to-"

"You didn't hear me. If I am to have hatchlings in the near future, then I will. If not, then it doesn't affect me. Either way, you are doing nothing to me, and that, is final."

Ember turned around and headed back out the door, Flame tailing right behind her. Cyril stood still, stunned by the young female's inability to listen to reason. The ice Guardian shook his head and turned away. There was nothing to be done about it. "I guess that I should start preparing then." He muttered to himself. "Why doesn't anyone listen to me? Soon we will have hatchlings running all about this temple and all kinds of other problems." Cyril headed out his door and down the corridor, in the opposite direction to where Flame and Ember had left. "I certainly hope that wasn't the first sign…"

"Ouch… What was that for?" Spyro had regained his ability to think freely after Cynder had whacked him on the back of the head with her tail blade. The purple Dragon looked towards Cynder, then down the hall where a nondescript red mass lay still. Cynder had sustained a few cuts along her forelegs, and a fairly deep gash on her left shoulder. "What happened? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine Spyro," Cynder then glanced back and admired her handiwork. "But I can't say the same for them."

"y-you mean there are more?"

"Were… They won't be bothering us for a while." Cynder took a step beside Spyro. "I have no doubt that they will try again though." She continued forward alone, as Spyro remained looking back at the bloodied body down the corridor. "Are you coming, Spyro?"

He had turned around and walked to Cynder's side. "What did you do to them?"

"I taught them that they can't take shortcuts to finding a mate." Cynder had a strong limp on her left foreleg. "But I doubt they'll remember that lesson."

"Cynder, you're hurt. Here, let me help you…"

"Help me how Spyro? It's because of you that this happened in the first place! All because of you and following the Guardian's stupid rules." The black Dragoness stepped forward, turning to face Spyro. "I don't mind some of the things that have been said, but you're allowing Cyril's rules blindly and dragging me along with you. Spyro, you're all I have. And today I was close to losing you. There was nothing you could do about it then, but there is something you can do to stop from happening again." Cynder took a step forward, closing the distance between her and Spyro.

"Cynder, we can't… Where would we go? What would happen if we got caught? What if you end up-"

"I don't care Spyro. All I want is you, and they will just keep coming back again and again until they have you."

"I won't let them get to me-"

"How, Spyro? By having a dream about fighting them off?" Cynder turned away once more. "I love you, Spyro. And I couldn't live knowing that you were taken by someone like that."

"Cynder, I-"

Cynder placed a paw on his snout, silencing the purple Dragon. "Don't say it Spyro. I if you love me, you'll save yourself." The black Dragoness turned around and headed down the corridor, leaving Spyro to his thoughts. She knew he didn't want to divert to such extreme measures, but there was no other option. The only was Cynder knew that he would remain hers, was if he mated her. And the others would stop at nothing to make Spyro theirs.

Spyro stood still as Cynder limped down the hall and around the corner to her room. Once again, he found himself conflicted. There was the request of his seemingly definite mate-to-be, or, the rules and guidelines set by those who helped him, protected him, and trained him to defeat Malefor. Spyro knew that it was an argument with only one answer. He only wished he could tell his mind that.

There were three taps against the door. Oh, Ancestors, she wished who it was. Cynder remained silent, lying on her bed in the shadow of the afternoon, staring out her window into the vast forest that sprawled all around the Dragon Temple. There were another three knocks at the door, but again, Cynder remained ignorant to the noise, waiting to hear who it was rather than open the door to someone she didn't want to talk to. There was a long silence after the second set of knocks, but eventually, nothing. She naturally assumed that it wasn't anyone important, otherwise they would have spoken up and asked if she was there. Not likely that anyone other than Spyro or the Guardians would come to her room. Which meant, if there was no voice at the door, it wasn't Spyro at the door. Cynder took a deep breath and sighed, finding it painful to inhale completely due to her shoulder wound.

She idly licked at as her deep breath re-opened the wound, causing it to seep blood. Cynder closed her eyes at the sting, the wind picked up slightly, blowing gently against her other shoulder.

"Here," A voice spoke behind her. Immediately turning around, Cynder saw Spyro hanging off her window –sill, holding a life gem out to her.

"Where'd you get that? I thought they were all taken during the war."

"I was given more than you could believe. During the sparring matches of training, even if I got the slightest cut, everyone would offer me a life gem. So I held on to a few. I figured they would come in handy eventually." Cynder turned away and continued to lick her wound. "Cynder, don't be like this."

"Be like what?"

"Cynder, what's wrong?"

"You want to know what's wrong?" Cynder pushed herself to her feet and stepped towards the window where Spyro was still hanging. "What's wrong is that I'm losing the one I love because he insists on following the rules. There is no point to rules anymore. There is nothing that we need to be protected from anymore. No more running away, no more fighting. The world is finally at peace, and yet you are so insistent on following rules that are trying to protect us from nothing."

"They don't mean nothing, Cynder. Do you really think we're ready to have a hatchling? No! I'm not ready. I want to have a life, I want to see the world when it's not in war or recovering from a battle. The reason Cyril made these rules are so we can live a life beyond just looking after hatchlings."

Cynder turned away again and walked down to her bed to lay down. "I already have seen the world, Spyro. Yes, I saw it during the time of war destruction, but I was the one who made the land how it is today. That's why I don't want to go out and see the world, Spyro. Right now, you are all that I have left in this world that is good. Because if we were to go out and see the world, I would be going out to see the pain I had caused." Spyro stayed his tongue for the moment, contemplating how to continue the conversation, but inevitably coming up with nothing. "You see? There is nothing else I want to see in this world. In a few years, when the land is restored and the rubble removed, yes. But this soon, I don't want to relive what I will never forget."

"I understand Cynder. I will stay, for you." Spyro stepped inside the black Dragoness's room. "Here, please take this. I can't bear to see you like that." He held out the life gem once more.

Cynder reached forward with her uninjured foreleg. Spyro moved closer and handed the gem to her. There was a bash at the door not a moment later. "Cynder, are you in there?" It was Cyril.

"Go, run." Cynder whispered to Spyro, motioning toward the window and placing the gem on her bed, immediately covering it up with her sheets. "Just one minute!" She called back to the ice Guardian at the door.

"No. you're right, the rules are stupid. I am not leaving your side again." And that was one of the many reasons she loved him.

"Is everything okay in there? I noticed the blood trail to your room-" Cynder opened the door, revealing herself to the ice Guardian, and the gash on her shoulder visible alongside several other cuts along her form. "Why are you injured like that?" Cyril's shocked expression forcing itself out.

"There was an incident along the west side classrooms. I'm fine, really."

"Cynder, I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

"It could be too late for them if you stay."

Cyril glanced down the corridor, contemplating what Cynder said. "Which floor?"

"Fourth."

"Alright, I'll go check on them first, but when I get back I want to know exactly what happened."

"Cyril. Take some life gems, they'll need them." He gave a swift nod before making his way down the corridor, heading towards where Cynder said the incident had taken place.

"Why did you do that?" Spyro questioned Cynder, surprised that Cyril hadn't spotted him standing at the side of Cynder's bed.

"I want them to see what they can't have. If they're dead, all this was for nothing."

"So it's for revenge then?"

"Spyro, they were going to force themselves onto you, and you were going to do nothing but let them." Cynder lay back down on her bed. "If you knew how I felt in that moment, you would want them to feel the same way. To feel that their world was leaving, that the only reason you had fought to fit in decided that he didn't want you anymore. Spyro, it's because of you that I'm still here. And it's because of you that I'm even alive. I owe you my life, and yet you think nothing of it."

"Don't talk like that. I-"

"see? That's what I mean. You act like it's nothing, but… But it's not! And I don't think you understand this. You are my life, Spyro, the reason I'm here, the reason I'm staying. You are the answer to how I got here. It was all you. And without you, I'm just the, 'Terror of the Skies'." Cynder wiped a tear from her eyes as she uncovered the life gem Spyro had brought to her moments ago. "And still you keep giving."

"It's because you keep thinking that you aren't worth it, Cynder. But you are, I would fight Malefor again if I have to, just to keep you here. The reason I keep giving to you is because I'm afraid you will go." Spyro lifted Cynder's head with one of his paws. "I don't want to lose you, the same way that you don't want to lose me. Which is why…. Which is why I've decided."

"Decided what?"

**Heads up for all readers. The next chapter will contain Graphic content that may not be advisable for some. To compensate for that, I will be posting a clean version of the chapter so that those who do not wish to read about it can skip without any major plot holes.**

**Enjoy.**

"Use that life gem, and follow me." Spyro walked towards the window. "You'll understand when we get there."


	22. Chapter 22 A find in the Forest

**Warning: Content ahead may not be suitable for everyone. (Explicit) If you do not wish to read, A clean version has been put up for this Chapter will be released along with this one.**

**As always, Enjoy.**

"It says here that you should know after six days." Flame spoke silently under his breath to Ember. The two Dragons found themselves in the library, flipping through books on mating, all under the cover of Fire mastery. "Did you know that the egg is actually fully formed a week before you actually lay it?"

"Give me that." Ember reached around the much larger cover-book, taking the smaller one of interest and scanning the pages to confirm what Flame had said moments ago. "So in four days we get to find out if we're going to be parents."

"I guess we can wait another four days." Flame responded, turning his attention back to the book he'd found on the subject, flicking through pages at random intervals.

"I'm going to put this one back since it has nothing else of interest. It's all about the parenting stage." Ember pushed herself away from the table the two sat at, wandering through the almost deserted library as if no one else was around. Not that it really mattered if they were caught looking through those books. So what, they were allowed to be curious. Ember firmly shoved the book back into it's place on the shelf, taking out the ribbon she'd used as a place- holder. Making her way back to the table, she walked up behind Flame silently, watching as her stared in rapt attention as one of the illustrations in the book of the female's sex organs. "Having a good look there?"

Flame jumped at Ember's voice, and immediately shut the book. "Why'd you have to sneak up on me like that?"{

"Why'd you have to stare at a book when you can have the real thing?"

"I-" Ember knew she had trapped Flame, again. But it was always entertaining for her in the end, because she got something from it, since that's just how Flame was.

"Come on, we got the information we were looking for. Put that back so we can get back to our day."

"Our day of what?" Flame piled the three remaining books on the table and carried them towards their respective shelves. "You make it sound like there's something to do here other than sleep."

"The others can sleep. Come on, there's got to be something to do out there, all we have to do is find out." Ember picked a book out of Flame's hand and placed it on an empty space. "And if there's nothing to do out there, that means we've found a place to be alone." Flame knew that Ember was going on about, as he turned back out of the shelf row he was held up by Ember, who had opened up one of the books he stole. "And if that happens, I'll let you do this." She pointed to another illustration with a claw. Flame's eyes honed on the image, only to turn away immediately, using all his self control to avoid arousal. Ember snickered to herself at what she expected was to come. What were the odds of finding something interesting in the forest anyway?

Both Spyro and Cynder floated effortlessly over the seemingly endless forest. Cynder knew exactly what was coming, and felt giddy just thinking about it. She was finally to have Spyro as her mate, her one and only. The purple Dragon of legend was giving himself over to her, and her alone. From their last night spent together she knew Spyro's size, which ultimately meant nothing since she hadn't seen anyone else's, but the only thing that ran through her mind was Spyro himself. She was finally to have a mate. If only he's listened to her sooner.

Spyro, on the other hand, didn't know what to expect. He knew in his mind that he was doing the right thing for both Cynder and himself, he only wished that they didn't have to hide during the process.

Pulling back his wings, Spyro climbed quickly, and shot towards the cave entrance he's taken Cynder to several days before. Never did he think back that they would be planning this.

Spyro landed with a slight thud as Cynder pulled up gracefully, trying to curve herself inwards to show more of her form to the male Dragon. Almost immediately getting a reaction from Spyro, who stepped closer to Cynder and nuzzled against her side.

"I Love you." Cynder whispered quietly as she stared into his eyes. Those alone were enough to make her heart melt with feelings.

"I Love you too Cynder." Spyro almost immediately replied. "If it hurts too much, tell me to stop. You know I hate seeing you in pain."

That was one of the many other reasons she loved him. He was so caring and fearful. Cynder was sure that Spyro would throw himself before her if she was threatened in any way. Even if that meant risking his life. "I know Spyro. But this isn't just about me, I want you to enjoy this as much as I will."

"I'll remember it for the rest of my life." Spyro took a half-step towards Cynder, twisting his neck back to rub his muzzle down Cynder's neck. Continuing down her side, Spyro slid lower along Cynder's form, reaching her underside midway down her form. He took another quarter-step forward, placing his nose just under her most private area. He breathed in deeply, her aroma entering his body more willingly than ever. But this time, he didn't have to fight off his urges. Spyro was free to act as instinct had taught him.

Flicking his tongue out and rubbing it against Cynder's underside, almost immediately the once near-invisible scales opened from the touch of his tongue, almost inviting him inside. Spyro wasted no time indulging himself to Cynder's flavour. Breathing her scent while inviting her body to open itself for him.

Cynder fought the urge to lift one of her hind legs to allow Spyro better access to her slit, but instead glanced at his body, finding the male's Dragonhood showing itself to her for the second time. Cynder too snaked her head down to Spyro's underside, taking a sharp gasp in pleasure as he delved deeper into her. Re-affirming her grip on reality, Cynder reached the male's growing organ. Remembering their last encounter, Cynder wasted little time in taking the tip of his member into her waiting maw. She felt Spyro pause his activities to her underside as she traced around the end of his Dragonhood, being careful not to cut it with the end of her barbed tongue. Cynder lifted her forepaw to reach Spyro's member, gliding the tips of her claws along the base of it's length, enticing the rest of his Dragonhood out of it's sheath.

Spyro tried to continue his administrations to the inner reaches of her slit, but finding it impossible to keep up the constant movement, as the unrestricted feelings coming up from his hind-quarters raced through the rest of his body, flooding his mind with images that only aroused him further. Spyro felt Cynder open her maw wider, allowing his length to move deeper, hardening in the process. Spyro knew he wasn't going to last as long as he wanted their first time to go on for. All he could do was make sure Cynder enjoyed their closest moment as much as he did.

"Do you see anything yet?" Flame asked Ember as they flew over the Avalarian forest.

"No, nothing out of the ordinary."

"How much longer do you want to look?"

"Maybe another five minutes. Who knows, we-" Ember stopped in her flight, hovering in mid-air. Flame noticed her stop and looped around to face Ember.

"What is it?" Flame proceeded to ask, wondering why Ember had stopped. "What's wrong?"

"Don't you smell that?" Ember questioned Flame, watching as he shook his head in response. "How can you not smell that? Someone nearby is doing what we were planning."

"You mean they're mating?" Ember dropped from the sky and headed towards the ground, landing as silently as possible. Flame immediately followed. "Are you sure? Because I don't-"

"Quiet! The reason you can't pick it up is because you're mated to me, you're desensitized to the scent of any other female but me." Ember turned around and continued to follow her nose, pausing after a moment to look back at Flame. "I thought you knew that. Or when you were 'reading' those books were you just staring at the pictures?"

"I looked for what you asked me to, and I found it." Again Flame knew that Ember was right, just refused to admit it.

"Come on, I know they're close."

"But why are we finding them anyway?"

"Because it's something to do, plus, It'll be nice to talk to other Dragons about something other than how bored they are." Ember returned he gaze forward. "Alright, when I find them, and if they're Dragons we don't like, we leave and do our own thing. Does that sound fair?" Flame reluctantly nodded and padded up to Ember's side. "If you're that worried about being spotted, you can wait here."

"I want to know who they are."

"That's the spirit." Ember closed her eyes for a second and sniffed the air. "This way."

Cynder found herself unable to process any thought beyond Spyro. Her mind swam in ecstasy. With each beat of her accelerating heart pleasure pulsed through every limb in her body. There was no other word for this moment. Heaven. And they hadn't even mated yet.

Spyro was much the same, he blindly followed the orders given by his instincts. Press against there. Rub that side. Pull back and forth. It was when Cynder released his thoroughly prepared member when his mind returned, if not for a moment.

"That… was in- credible!" Cynder managed to stammer out between pants as Spyro pulled his head out from underneath his soon-to-be mate. Moments before Spyro had pulled himself out from under her, Cynder rubbed herself against Spyro's side as she walked passed her purple savior. Walking around his other side, Cynder held her body firmly against his, tracing her wing-tip along his spine. "I is time."

"Are you sure you're ready, Cynder?" Spyro, just holding onto his mind for several moments.

"Spyro, I couldn't dream of a better moment." Cynder walked passed Spyro, trailing her tail along the side of his neck, she stopped walking and reached the back of Spyro's head. She pushed his head down with her tail and spread her legs for his pleasure to view her moist nether regions. Cynder trailed her tail down the top of Spyro's head to the tip of his snout, giving a slight flick at the end and curling it around her side, leaving herself open for him. "I am ready, Spyro. Make me yours."

Spyro couldn't manage a reply, instead creeping forward, lifting his head to gaze at what would soon be his. Spyro lifted himself onto his hind legs, walking himself forward until his forepaws rested on Cynder's shoulders, the tip of his Dragonhood resting against Cynder's open passage.

Managing to maintain control of his instincts, Spyro resisted slamming himself into Cynder, and instead slowly finding the path into his mate, feeling every ridge of his length rub against the walls of her tunnel. Spyro's member slid in so freely, but about halfway through he hit a wall, forcing his entrance to a halt. Cynder jumped forward slightly at the connection and braced herself against the ground. Spyro knew that he didn't have to ask, instead nuzzling the side of his maw against the base of her neck. Pressing firmly into her Spyro increased the pressure pushed against the barrier protecting Cynder's virginity. Spyro could hear Cynder whimpering slightly, but knew better than to stop. She was the one who asked him to do this. They had come so far, and he wasn't going to stop now.

Spyro stopped pressing against the barrier entirely, instead pulling slightly back, and holding himself steady. He looked deeply into his mates eyes, and she him. Spyro could see the pure, unhindered love for him there, and Cynder could see the same in his. He gave one lick to her forehead, and whispered to her. "For you, Cynder." He then pushed himself, and gave one sharp thrust that broke through the wall, causing Cynder to howl in pain. Spyro remained still as he heard Cynder continue to whimper in pain, but he knew this was what she wanted. He only wished there was a way to avoid this.

"I- told you… Not to stop…" Cynder managed between cries, a single tear making it's way down the side of her face.

Spyro wanted to stop, he wanted to pull out and comfort her, to apologize for the pain he caused her. But that wasn't an option. He had caused her pain, and the only way he could relieve that pain was to make himself feel good. Shutting off his mind, Spyro's instincts took over, pushing himself deeper into Cynder, ignoring her whimpers of pain as he continued deeper into his mate.

Having fully entered his mate, Spyro pressed against Cynder, forcing the head as deep as it would go into her. He could hear her pained breath though. Which meant Spyro had to continue. Pulling his length out of his mate, Spyro re-traced the long steps taken to reach that deeply into Cynder. Pulling out back to the tip of his length, Spyro pressed back into Cynder, more swiftly than the first time, the wall he had found non-existent this time. Spyro continued unobstructed to the hilt, and almost immediately pulled back on his length to come out of Cynder.

Spyro continued his thrusts into his mate, eventually finding her whimpers of pain turning into moans of pleasure. Just hearing her enjoy the sensation made Spyro want to press harder. Pushing into her tunnel forcefully, and pulling back out again just as swiftly. Spyro continued his actions, almost slamming himself into his mate now, causing her to jolt forward from the contact between them.

Cynder had lost her mind. After the lingering pain found itself flooded over with intense pleasure sent from one extreme to the other, she wanted to enjoy the moment with Spyro. As he thrust into her, Cynder rocked herself backwards; increasing the speed Spyro entered her with, moving forward as he found his way out of her form. Cynder even found Spyro using his forelegs to push her back and forth, counteracting his thrusts; she had to do almost nothing to receive the pleasure radiating out from her. That was her Spyro. Making sure others received more than he did. Cynder could almost feel the intense heat flowing from Spyro's underside against her back, joining with his member to set her body aflame with love and passion.

Coming from almost nowhere, Cynder found her body heat surpassing the warmth coming from Spyro. Her pleasured moans echoing throughout the whole cave, joining with Spyro's low growl. Cynder felt her heat jump again, she knew that she was close.

Spyro heard Cynder's moans become shorter and more frequent. He was holding off, trying to hold the moment together for as long as possible. Seemingly reaching his limit, Spyro pressed himself into Cynder as far as he could, feeling her weight press back against him, aiding in Spyro's efforts to bury his length inside her. Then he felt it end.

Cynder shrieked out in pleasure, clenching her forepaws and making grooves in the stone floor from her sharpened claws, she felt herself erupt from the inside as the intense feelings of pleasure, love, and passion spread from the tip of Spyro's length into the depths of her no longer virgin passage. She felt Spyro continue to press harder against her, with each thrust it only accelerated the spread of her feelings, causing hem both to explode their love into each other for a few short, god-like moments. Spyro eventually came to a stop, releasing the vice-like hold on her shoulders and reducing the energy holding himself inside Cynder.

Cynder lowered herself to the floor, rolling onto her side with Spyro, allowing him to keep them both connected. They were mates, unified forever bound only to each other.

Ember lay on the grass with Flame beside her. After getting the first glimpse of black and purple, both Ember and Flame instantly knew that Spyro and Cynder were the couple. They both wasted no time flying to the other side of the Dragon Temple, miles away before stopping to rest in the eastern courtyard, not wanting to be seen by either Spyro or Cynder. "It's about time they mated." Flame commented to Ember. "I can't believe we did it before them anyway."

"I don't know. It could be worse though."

"How so?"

"Well, imagine if someone else had found them as opposed to us." Ember looked back at Flame.

"Imagine if Cyril found them." Flame laughed to himself quietly until Ember rolled to her feet and turned around.

"Imagine if I found who?" The ice Guardian said.


	23. Chapter 22 A find in the Forest (Clean)

"It says here that you should know after six days." Flame spoke silently under his breath to Ember. The two Dragons found themselves in the library, flipping through books on mating, all under the cover of Fire mastery. "Did you know that the egg is actually fully formed a week before you actually lay it?"

"Give me that." Ember reached around the much larger cover-book, taking the smaller one of interest and scanning the pages to confirm what Flame had said moments ago. "So in four days we get to find out if we're going to be parents."

"I guess we can wait another four days." Flame responded, turning his attention back to the book he'd found on the subject, flicking through pages at random intervals.

"I'm going to put this one back since it has nothing else of interest. It's all about the parenting stage." Ember pushed herself away from the table the two sat at, wandering through the almost deserted library as if no one else was around. Not that it really mattered if they were caught looking through those books. So what, they were allowed to be curious. Ember firmly shoved the book back into it's place on the shelf, taking out the ribbon she'd used as a place- holder. Making her way back to the table, she walked up behind Flame silently, watching as her stared in rapt attention as one of the illustrations in the book of the female's sex organs. "Having a good look there?"

Flame jumped at Ember's voice, and immediately shut the book. "Why'd you have to sneak up on me like that?"

"Why'd you have to stare at a book when you can have the real thing?"

"I-"Ember knew she had trapped Flame, again. But it was always entertaining for her in the end, because she got something from it, since that's just how Flame was.

"Come on, we got the information we were looking for. Put that back so we can get back to our day."

"Our day of what?" Flame piled the three remaining books on the table and carried them towards their respective shelves. "You make it sound like there's something to do here other than sleep."

"The others can sleep. Come on, there's got to be something to do out there, all we have to do is find out." Ember picked a book out of Flame's hand and placed it on an empty space. "And if there's nothing to do out there, that means we've found a place to be alone." Flame knew that Ember was going on about, as he turned back out of the shelf row he was held up by Ember, who had opened up one of the books he stole. "And if that happens, I'll let you do this." She pointed to another illustration with a claw. Flame's eyes honed on the image, only to turn away immediately, using all his self control to avoid arousal. Ember snickered to herself at what she expected was to come. What were the odds of finding something interesting in the forest anyway?

Both Spyro and Cynder floated effortlessly over the seemingly endless forest. Cynder knew exactly what was coming, and felt giddy just thinking about it. She was finally to have Spyro as her mate, her one and only. The purple Dragon of legend was giving himself over to her, and her alone. From their last night spent together she knew Spyro's size, which ultimately meant nothing since she hadn't seen anyone else's, but the only thing that ran through her mind was Spyro himself. She was finally to have a mate. If only he's listened to her sooner.

Spyro, on the other hand, didn't know what to expect. He knew in his mind that he was doing the right thing for both Cynder and himself, he only wished that they didn't have to hide during the process.

Pulling back his wings, Spyro climbed quickly, and shot towards the cave entrance he's taken Cynder to several days before. Never did he think back that they would be planning this.

Spyro landed with a slight thud as Cynder pulled up gracefully, trying to curve herself inwards to show more of her form to the male Dragon. Almost immediately getting a reaction from Spyro, who stepped closer to Cynder and nuzzled against her side.

"I Love you." Cynder whispered quietly as she stared into his eyes. Those alone were enough to make her heart melt with feelings.

"I Love you too Cynder." Spyro almost immediately replied. "If it hurts too much, tell me to stop. You know I hate seeing you in pain."

That was one of the many other reasons she loved him. He was so caring and fearful. Cynder was sure that Spyro would throw himself before her if she was threatened in any way. Even if that meant risking his life. "I know Spyro. But this isn't just about me, I want you to enjoy this as much as I will."

"I'll remember it for the rest of my life." Spyro took a half-step towards Cynder, twisting his neck back to rub his muzzle down Cynder's neck. Continuing down her side, Spyro slid lower along Cynder's form, reaching her underside midway down her form. He took another quarter-step forward, placing his nose just under her most private area. He breathed in deeply, her aroma entering his body more willingly than ever. But this time, he didn't have to fight off his urges. Spyro was free to act as instinct had taught him.

Flicking his tongue out and rubbing it against Cynder's underside, almost immediately the once near-invisible scales opened from the touch of his tongue, almost inviting him inside. Spyro wasted no time indulging himself to Cynder's flavour. Breathing her scent while inviting her body to open itself for him.

"Do you see anything yet?" Flame asked Ember as they flew over the Avalarian forest.

"No, nothing out of the ordinary."

"How much longer do you want to look?"

"Maybe another five minutes. Who knows, we-" Ember stopped in her flight, hovering in mid-air. Flame noticed her stop and looped around to face Ember.

"What is it?" Flame proceeded to ask, wondering why Ember had stopped. "What's wrong?"

"Don't you smell that?" Ember questioned Flame, watching as he shook his head in response. "How can you not smell that? Someone nearby is doing what we were planning."

"You mean they're mating?" Ember dropped from the sky and headed towards the ground, landing as silently as possible. Flame immediately followed. "Are you sure? Because I don't-"

"Quiet! The reason you can't pick it up is because you're mated to me, you're desensitized to the scent of any other female but me." Ember turned around and continued to follow her nose, pausing after a moment to look back at Flame. "I thought you knew that. Or when you were 'reading' those books were you just staring at the pictures?"

"I looked for what you asked me to, and I found it." Again Flame knew that Ember was right, just refused to admit it.

"Come on, I know they're close."

"But why are we finding them anyway?"

"Because it's something to do, plus, It'll be nice to talk to other Dragons about something other than how bored they are." Ember returned he gaze forward. "Alright, when I find them, and if they're Dragons we don't like, we leave and do our own thing. Does that sound fair?" Flame reluctantly nodded and padded up to Ember's side. "If you're that worried about being spotted, you can wait here."

"I want to know who they are."

"That's the spirit." Ember closed her eyes for a second and sniffed the air. "This way."

Ember lay on the grass with Flame beside her. After getting the first glimpse of black and purple, both Ember and Flame instantly knew that Spyro and Cynder were the couple. They both wasted no time flying to the other side of the Dragon Temple, miles away before stopping to rest in the eastern courtyard, not wanting to be seen by either Spyro or Cynder. "It's about time they mated." Flame commented to Ember. "I can't believe we did it before them anyway."

"I don't know. It could be worse though."

"How so?"

"Well, imagine if someone else had found them as opposed to us." Ember looked back at Flame.

"Imagine if Cyril found them." Flame laughed to himself quietly until Ember rolled to her feet and turned around.

"Imagine if I found who?" The ice Guardian said.


	24. Chapter 23 The Deal

**Hey Everyone! Sorry about the wait for this chapter. I have been rather busy as of late with studying, but that's all finished up now. I will upload the next three chapter over the next three days as per usual. But after that it's going to go slower. Chapter 26 Marks the end of my predecessors work. More on that later, for now...**

**Enjoy.**

"Ember, Flame, what are you hiding from me?" Cyril looked down at the two young Dragons, attempting to get more information from them.

"What do you mean what are we hiding? It's nothing really." Ember tried to cover for Flame, she didn't want anything to do with it, but didn't want to move onto worse terms with Spyro and Cynder.

"If it's nothing, then why don't you tell me?"

"Because it wasn't about anything. We were bored, so we came up with things that would be strange to come across. You just happened to appear when we mentioned your name." Flame, though quiet often as easy to read as an open book, could come up with interesting, elaborate lies to get himself out of trouble. This moment couldn't have come at a better time.

Cyril shifted his gaze from the two Dragons, scanning the horizon for any sign of movement. Contemplating Flame's excuse and whether or not it was legitimate. Opting to take the safe route,  
Cyril naturally assumed that he was lying. "As much as I would like to believe that, I have other pressing matters. Have either of you seen Spyro or Cynder?" Cyril continued his search of the area, deeming it empty, and returned his gaze to the young Dragons. "I saw you two fly across the forest before, and wondered if you had seen them."

"As far as I know they were spending today inside." Flame covered once again.

"But if we see them we'll say you want to talk to them." Ember quickly added, trying to convince the ice Guardian to leave them alone. She only disliked Cyril's presence due to his overbearing and restricting rules. But, like any career, it was only natural for her to feel cut off from living due to guidelines.

Accepting their aid in getting in contact with both Spyro and Cynder, Cyril left both Ember and Flame to themselves on the ridge centralized in the small clearing.

"Well, that was close."

"You did hear him say he didn't believe us, Right Flame?"

Flame nodded his head slightly. "But he's gone, isn't he?"

"You're right, so I guess you deserve some credit." Ember turned away from Flame and flared her wings out after seeing Cyril disappear inside the temple. "Come on, we have to tell Spyro and Cynder."

"Do you think they're finished?" Flame questioned, having lost track of time just watching the afternoon sky.

Ember only turned her head back. "It's been long enough. Besides, I think they'll want to know that Cyril was looking for them so they can build up a lie as opposed to telling him what they were actually doing."

Flame moved to Ember's side and prepped himself to take flight. "You're right. Do you remember where they were?"

"Near enough to it."

Spyro and Cynder had flown outside the cave and found a small river nearby where they could clean themselves from their lovemaking. Spyro himself was laying on the riverbank in the afternoon sunlight, warming himself from the initial cool of the river. Cynder on the other hand found it hard to clean her scales, taking a slightly longer time to remove the rest of the evidence that they had mated. She didn't know, however, what the outcome of their actions was to bring. If she was going to become a mother from their mating was unknown, and it would remain unknown to Cynder and Spyro until something was visibly growing inside Cynder. "When are we going to head back?" Spyro asked Cynder, who had just lifted her head above the current once more.

"We could go now if you want, the water is nice, though."

"Too cold for me." Spyro rolled onto his back, sunning his underside, and warming the rest of his form. "You look like you're having fun, though."

Cynder took a drink from the river before replying. "It's not as fun as you think." Her gaze shot to the sky as she saw two other Dragons circling above them. "Looks like we got company."

Spyro almost immediately shot to his feet, wondering who was out here so late in the afternoon. There was just over an hour of daylight left.

As the two circling Dragons descended to the forest floor, Cynder made it to Spyro's side, seeing that it was Ember and Flame. "We need to talk." Ember spoke first, taking a step forward, Cynder immediately mirroring her movements, only taking a defensive stance towards her rival.

"Uh, Spyro? Didn't you talk to Cynder about this?" Flame quickly spoke, putting himself between Ember and Cynder.

Spyro found himself thinking back to the previous day and his discussion with Flame, remembering that he was supposed to talk to Cynder about Ember's plans to make peace. He scratched his head for a second. "No, I don't think so."

"Well can you do something about it, like now?" Flame responded, sounding urgent, as Cynder didn't seem to have any focus besides Ember.

Spyro immediately took hold of one of Cynder's forelegs, dragging her off with him back several paces. "What are you doing Cynder?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing? She tried to kill me!"

"I know, and this is actually my fault. Flame talked to me the other day and told me to tell you that Ember wanted to make a truce with you now that she has Flame."

"And you said yes on my behalf?"

"No, I said I would talk about it to you, which I had managed to forget because of what we've been going through ourselves." Cynder glanced back towards Ember and Flame, who were also in full conversation.

"And she expects me to believe that?"

"Cynder, please. Try to be reasonable. I know that you both have a long history, but this is no different from you and Sparx. And since sometimes I am going to want to talk to Flame, Ember will most likely be beside him. Can you at least consider that?"

Cynder took a deep breath and thought herself through. "Oh, and congratulations to you both." Flame spoke up, causing both Spyro and Cynder to turn around and look back, wondering why Flame would say such a thing.

Both Spyro and Cynder looked at each other, then back to Flame. "For what?" They both said at once.

"For officially becoming mates. Why else would I say that?"

Again both Spyro and Cynder looked at each other. "What are you talking about?" Cynder was immediately the first to take the defensive.

"Cynder, we saw you both, so you don't have to try and hid it." Both Spyro and Cynder gained looks of shock towards the other couple. "Don't be like that, we only saw what we needed to prove that it was you two."

"Why were you looking for us to begin with?" Cynder asked.

"That's my fault. Flame and I were flying overhead when we caught scent of your happenings."

"Thankfully it didn't get me because I'm alre-" Ember elbowed Flame in the ribs, immediately causing him to stop mid-sentence.

"That's okay, Flame, we both know about you too." Cynder spoke. "Spyro saw you two that night."

This time it was Ember and Flame's turn to look surprised and shocked. "So you knew all along?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Spyro confessed.

"What do you mean by unfortunately?" Ember questioned immediately.

"It's not exactly what you call nice looking in on a couple mating. But you two obviously had no problems with it."

"We didn't see anything but the backs of your heads, would you say unfortunately if you say that? The only reason we knew you two were mating was because of the scent in the air. And even then, the only reason we wanted to know was to find someone else who actually wanted to break Cyril's stupid rules." Ember was fighting to defend her reasons, receiving no back-up from Flame.

"Are you two done already?" Cynder stepped forward. "Great, Spyro saw you and Ember saw us. So, now that we all know that we're all mated with each other, why did you come out to find us?"

"Oh, I almost forgot." Flame re-assumed the Dragons attention. "Cyril is looking for you two-"

"Or at least I was." Once again, to Ember and Flame anyway, Cyril stepped out of the bushes. "What is wrong with you all? Don't you care about your future?"

"I only did this to protect everyone else." Cynder fought. "The reason I attacked those two was because they were seducing Spyro, and the only thing I could do to stop them was fight. Would you rather us all follow the rules while I slowly cut down, one by one, the countless Dragons that want Spyro as their mate?

"Yes, but-"

"And it wasn't just to break your rules, Spyro refused to do anything until I nearly killed the two that tried to take as theirs. He saw firsthand how close they came to death. If I hadn't told you about them they'd be dead by now."

"I know, an-"

"So, how are you going to punish us this time? The same way you made an example of Flame and Ember? Oh, wait, they got away with it despite your rules. So the only reason you keep following us is because of Spyro. Is that right? Because everyone wants a piece of him, and you tried to keep us 'open' for as long as possible, is that right?"

"Cynder! Please! I know that I might not have been entirely fair on you and Spyro, and for that I must apologize-"

"So what are you going to do with us?"

"Nothing." All four of the young Dragons exchanged glances, wondering if the ice Guardian was trying to hide something else from them.

"You're not going to do nothing, we-"

"But I am Ember. I know that Cynder's reasons prove to make her actions, more or less, acceptable due to the insane amount of lust all Dragoness's have for Spyro." Spyro rolled his eyes at that comment. He was sick of being followed by everyone. "And dealing with constant life-threatening injuries isn't something anyone wishes to deal with on a daily basis. Although I myself frown upon her actions, both Terrador and Volteer will appreciate the lack of injured Dragons needing to be taken care of in the process."

"But won't they be suspicious?"

"That they are. Which is why I am giving you four a choice. Due to the fact that both Volteer and Terrador are becoming suspicious, it shall be you Cynder, who has o tell them what has happened."

"Where's the choice in that?" Cynder argued.

""If you wish to be with Spyro every night, then you shall inform them the other Guardians, and live with whatever requests they have for you at the time. Or, we can pretend none of this happened and go back to our lives."

"How is that fair for Flame and Ember?" Spyro questioned further.

"I am offering them the same deal. If Ember is to confront the other Guardians, then she and Flame shall be able to stay with one another. Or, remain as is and ignore my offer." Cyril turned around and headed back towards the mess of shrubbery from which he had emerged. "If you four wish to have no life, and care for hatchlings constantly until the end of your days, then so be it. I tried to protect you from that lifestyle, but it seems that you are intent on ignoring my advice and breaking the rules. So, enjoy what little free time you have left, because you won't find it again if you continue to ignore my warnings."

"Well, that's not fair." Cynder complained. "Why do I have to do it?"

"Because it was our idea to begin with." Ember answered. "We are the ones who initiated the mating process."

"But it's not our faults they agreed."

"Yes it is Cynder. I only did this for you."

"And Ember basically forced herself onto me." Flame received a hard glare from Ember. "Not that I'm complaining. I'm happy you did."

"So why is telling Volteer and Terrador such a big deal to make?" Cynder questioned the rest of the group.

"As far as I know, Volteer would want to run tests on us to prove whether or not we're bearing eggs." Ember answered. "But Terrador, I'm not so sure. I never even thought he had an interest in anything beyond fighting."

"So, the sooner you tell him, the sooner Volteer does his test on you, and the sooner we can ignore him?" Flame basically summed up the issue.

"Hang on. Don't I get a say in this?" Ember complained. "I don't want him running tests on me, I'm not some experiment he can do what he wants with."

"But that's the deal. Confront the other Guardians and live with their requests at any given moment." Flame answered. "I wonder how long that lasts."

"It could take forever. But then, what's stopping other couple's from doing what we have and taking up Cyril's offer anyway?"

"I think it's only for us." Spyro finally spoke up.

"Why only for us? What did we do?"

"Well, we all had a hand in the war, right? Ember Flame and I fought against…"

"My armies…" Cynder solemnly finished.

"Er- Right. While Cynder and I defeated Malefor."

"So that's it? Cyril is giving us his preference because of what we did in the war?"

"Most likely. That or he's offering it to us because both Spyro and I were made an example of while you two were away mating in the background." Cynder shot back at Ember and Flame.

"It's better than lying awake at night wondering how he knew we had mated in the first place." Ember shot back. "To think that Cyril himself had watched you is really creepy."

"Believe me, it's something I would rather forget." Spyro added to Ember's comment.

"Ember calm down." Cynder spoke quietly now. "So, which of us is going to tell them first?"


	25. Chapter 24 But it gets Worse

All four Dragons landed in the entryway of the Dragon Temple. The sun was setting down beyond the horizon, bathing the two couple's backs in the waning sunlight, and signaling that another day was drawing to a close yet again.

"Looks like we'll have to wait until tomorrow to gain our freedom." Flame broke the silence.

"It's not like the night will go on forever." Cynder responded. "I'm sure you can live another night alone."

"You know, I've been thinking, what would the other's think if they knew?" Spyro asked as the four walked through the corridor.

"If they knew we could sleep together?" Ember questioned in return, receiving a nod from Spyro. " I guess we have to try and keep it from them. Instead of just walking through a door, we may just have to use a window instead."

"I suppose that's a good idea." Spyro replied, stopping at his door. "I'll see you guys later sometime." He said towards Flame and Ember, receiving a farewell from the two, and leaving himself and Cynder at Spyro's room. "It's nice to see that they fixed my door so quickly. Looks brand new." He joked, admiring the framework.

"At least they fixed it, I guess. Although you're not going to be staying long."

"So we're going to be sleeping your room then?"

"Not all the time, but, I like my room. It's quiet and out of the way."

"Meaning that were more alone." Spyro clarified, causing Cynder to nod slowly, a sly grin forming. "Cynder, you know that I don't want to risk us becoming parents."

"There are other things we can do Spyro."

"I know." Spyro turned around and faced back down the corridor they had come through. "But right now, I'm starved. Lets get something to eat."

Dawn broke and the sun's light streamed through Cynder's curtains, bathing her in a soft light. Specks of light caused by the Dragoness's scales danced around the room as she shifted her face out of the direct sunlight. As the sun had risen though, Cynder's attempt to continue her sleep was swept away by the increasingly powerful rays of light, heating her scales above what was considered a comfortable temperature to the black Dragon.

Forcing herself up to her legs, Cynder stretched out her forelegs and tail, taking a step forward and mirroring the motions with her hind legs and head. The female Dragon walked to her window and moved the curtain out of her way, allowing her to look out and see if anything had changed from yesterday.

Nothing had, yet anyway.

Cynder leapt out her window and flew over the Dragon Temple to the other side to see if Spyro was awake. She knew the answer was no, as Spyro enjoyed sleep much more than herself.

Drifting over the roof of the temple, Cynder descended to the other side and swooped around and pulled up at Spyro's room, perching herself on the windowsill and looking in on to her purple mate.

Spyro had himself curled tightly, his head resting atop his four legs and tail wrapping around the limbs holding them in place. Cynder considered waking him, but he looked so cute. _Maybe he's cold._ Cynder thought, stepping into Spyro's room and onto his bed. She softly lay behind him, draping one of her wings over her mate.

There was no reaction from Spyro at all, and Cynder watched to make sure he didn't wake up. But all she could see was the rise and fall of his body. Cynder curled her head around, lying it over her wing, closing her eyes and resting, if not just for a short while. Although she has known Spyro for sleeping in often.

"So that's why Cyril has been acting so strangely." Volteer spoke the words toward Terrador, who was standing before Ember, who had just informed the other two Guardians of her relationship status with Flame. "That at least explains his actions, so how do you explain yours?"

"I can't. I acted against the rules because I wanted to. Because I hated being alone as myself, and I didn't want to lose-"

"Alright, your reasons don't matter. What's done is done." Terrador cut off the pink Dragoness. "Why are you telling us this if you somehow managed to convince Cyril to not inform us?"

"I am telling you both because an agreement was made between me, Flame, and Cyril. If I was to inform you both, and adhere to the consequences that each of you deemed necessary, then Flame and I would be allowed to share a room."

Both Volteer and Terrador exchanged glances. Questioning the reason Ember and Flame had come before them. A door behind the two Guardians opened, revealing the third Guardian to the assembled Dragons. "Ah, Cyril, good that you're here." Volteer started.

"So Ember has told you both?"

"That she has, but we both refuse to believe that you would allow Ember and Fame to share a room if this meeting took place."

"That is correct." Cyril confirmed, continuing to speak at a volume Ember couldn't hear.

"Are you sure?" Terrador asked, as if not believing what his fellow Guardian had told him. Cyril nodded once, then turned around and left the two remaining to consider what they should do about the issue.

"Ember, I want you and Flame to meet me in the training room after Volteer is finished." Terrador started. "I shall be there until midday." He turned his attention to Volteer. "That is all I have decided so far."

Terrador then left through the same way Cyril had. "Now Ember. Tell me, when did this happen?"

"About three days ago."

"Hmmm, that means we need to run a few tests." She knew from Cyril that this is what Volteer would have come up with. "Follow me please." Volteer turned to his right and headed out a different door then Cyril and Terrador had taken.

The two walked down the corridor and ended up in another room almost on the exact opposite side of the building to where the Dragon's quarters were. "It has been many years since I've had to do one of these." Volteer muttered to himself, searching the cupboards and cabinets lining the walls of the room. Several beds lay on the far side of the room, with a bear table centralized in the room. "Just take a seat, Ember, I need to find a few things."

Ember followed instruction, moving over to the middle bed on the far side, finding it almost twice as comfortable than the one in her room. Immediately she lay down and relaxed.

"Ah, there we are." He let out a sigh of relief for a reason unknown to Ember. Turning around while holding a fairly large jar, placing it on the center table. Lifting off the lid, the electric Guardian pulled out what looked like a short, yet slightly wide, rod. "Now, these are fairly fragile, so you must be careful when you handle it."

Volteer stepped forward to where Ember was lying. "what am I supposed to do with it?"

"Well," The electric Guardian flicked off a cap covering one end of the device. "See how this is clear now?" He motioned to the other end of the rod, receiving a nod from Ember. "About five minutes after you insert the other end into your vagina, it should change color. If it turns blue, you are pregnant, if it turns red, you are clean." Volteer handed the rod to Ember and turned around, picking up the jar and placing it back into the cupboard. "I'll leave you for ten minutes and be back to check the results."

"But won't I be able to tell the color myself?"

"Why of course, yes, you would. But there are other tests that I wish to run before you must be off to Terrador. I Shall inform Flame of the happenings and bring him here. Seeing as he's probably wondering where you are right now."

Volteer exited the room while Ember considered what choice she had. And that was none. Rolling onto her back, she prepared herself to get tested, without becoming over stimulated.

"Ah, Cynder. We were wondering if you were ever going to turn up." Terrador started, looking upon the young Dragoness. "Why did you wish to arrange a meeting with Volteer and myself?"

Midday had passed, and Cynder had arranged with both Terrador and Volteer to meet at this time. Spyro was standing outside the door, as per Cynder's request, as Cyril had stated that it was she who had to inform them, not Spyro. "I'm actually here because of Cyril." The two Guardians spoke a few words between themselves.

"Go, on." Volteer motioned with one of his forepaws.

"And because I'm her, I actually have to tell you that I haven't exactly followed the rules. There-"

"Stop there, Cynder." Volteer interrupted the young Dragoness. "Does this, by any chance, have anything to do with the reason Ember was here earlier today?"

"Ember had already seen you both about it?"

"See? I told you." Terrador rolled his eyes as Volteer continued. "So, if this was for the same reason that Ember was here, that means you and Spyro are mated, correct?" Cynder simply nodded. "And so you have the same agreement with Cyril?"

"Yes."

"very well, both you and Spyro shall follow me, as there are some things that need to be sorted out."

"And when you're done you can both find me in the training room." Terrador added, who immediately turned and left the room.

Cynder moved back to the doorway and waved Spyro back inside, both Dragons following Volteer down the same passage Ember had many hours ago. Entering the same room as before, Volteer immediately went straight to the right cupboard and pulled out the same jar.

"I remember when I had to do this several times a day." The electric Guardian observed of himself. "Just like before the war." He pulled out one of the rods, noting how few left there were. If this kept up he would have to get more of them made. He passed the rod to Cynder, "Alright now, within five minutes we'll know if you are to be parents or not."

"Wait, so Ember did this test earlier today?" Spyro asked.

"Yes, she did. Now-"

"Are her and Flame to become parents?"

"Fortunately no, at least not this time. Thankfully, though no one was at fault. But that's not any concern of yours." Volteer returned his attention to Cynder. "See how there is a cap on one end? If you take that off, and insert the end into your vagina, it should tell us whether or not you're to become parents." Volteer turned around to leave the room. "Spyro, it is advised that you are not in the room during this process. Instead there is something else you must do."

Spyro followed Volteer and left Cynder alone, moving across the hall, a different room was entered, this one almost a mirror to the one they left Cynder in. "Why is this room the same as the other one?"

"But it's not the same, Spyro."

"It looks the same to me."

"Ah, Spyro, You're so naïve."

"Then what's it for?"

"At the moment, it's to keep you away from Cynder. But it might have a use depending on what the result may be."

Spyro moved down to the end of the room and lay on one of the beds. "Can you tell me what Terrador is planning?"

"I could, if I knew what that was. But unfortunately, I don't. Although you could ask Flame and Ember if they were around, they both spent all morning in the training room."

"Which would explain why I never saw them." Spyro cast a nervous glance to the floor.

"Relax, Spyro. It can't be much worse than what Cyril put you through the previous day."

Both Spyro and the electric Dragon crossed the corridor, alerting Cynder to their presence at the door before proceeding inwards. Spyro immediately look for Cynder, who had a look of relief on her face. Holding up the rod, a clear red filling the center of it, indicating that they too, were safe from parenthood. Spyro immediately bounded across the room and nuzzled against Cynder, who returned his affection. "Alright you two, enough." Volteer's voice forced separation between the two young Dragons, however, Volteer took a more solemn tone, lowering his voice to whispers entirely. "But it could be what I feared."

"So we can go to Terrador now?"

Volteer returned his attention to the two young Dragons before him. "Yes, yes. He shall be waiting for you." Volteer watched as the two Dragons left the room and headed towards the training area.

"This is good then. We don't want Hatchlings running around again, it was hard enough all those years ago."

"Yes, but I'm worried about both Spyro and Cynder."

"Why is that?" Cyril, sounding genuinely concerned as Volteer always took matters seriously.

"As you and I both know, it's the purple Dragon's genes that get passed down through generations until the next one is born."

"Yes, go on."

"Well, if my theory proves correct, then we may never have another purple Dragon after Spyro if Cynder is unable to conceive."

"How are you sure?"

"Many of the test I had run on Cynder during, and just after the war were to detect magical residues on her." Volteer's voice grew solemn, as when he discussed his fallen mate. "These test led to several conclusions that indicated that some sort of magic was at work on her body still. But I could never figure out why." Volteer's voice grew quieter still, just above a silent whisper, so much that Cyril had to strain to hear him. "Now I understand, I believe that Malefor foresaw that Spyro would fall for Cynder, and , eventually, take her as a mate."

A cold, dreadful realization was starting to dawn on Cyril. "What does this all mean?"

Volteer's voice stayed at it's barely hearable tone. "It means, well, it means that somehow the magic Malefor cast on her is still working now, rendering Cynder unable to bear young. Although the source is still unknown to me, I believe that I might still be able to undo what has been done."

"If what you're telling me is true, then we may have some bad news for those two, and I'm sure they won't take too kindly to it."


	26. Chapter 25 Mateship Rivelry

"so, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" Ember asked Flame, both were walking down the corridor to their now shared room.

"I don't care, as it's not what Volteer got me to do."

"Surely it couldn't have been that bad, if it turned out we were going to be parents then we wouldn't have had to do anything but wait. But I'm happy we still get to live our lives instead of being tied down the whole time."

"I think I'd rather go through all the tests again than cart food and other things around for you all day." Flame and Ember stepped out to the main gate of the temple. "And if I was doing that, we'd spend more away rather than together."

Ember sighed slightly. "I gues you're right. But we'd spend nights together."

"All I'd do is sleep since I would be running around all day. You'd be the one wide awake and full of energy."

Ember sighed again as she leapt from the Temple gate and took flight over the forest, with no particular destination other than 'away' in her mind, with Flame following closely behind. "I still feel sorry for Spyro and Cynder."

"Why do you feel sorry for them? We had to go through the Guardian's 'consequences' too you know."

"Yeah, I know. But knowing what they're going into, I wouldn't mind seeing their reactions."

"Like yours when we found out what we had to do?" Flame joked towards Ember, who immediately glared at him in return.

"Like yours when you first struck me?" Flame could now only manage a sheepish look of apology.

"You know I had no choice. Besides, I let you win in the end anyway." Ember rolled her eyes. "Not my fault I couldn't bear to see you in pain."

Both Spyro and Cynder walked into the training room, finding the entire area devoid of anyone but Terrador standing at the far end of the room. "Hurry up, you two." He called down the empty room, causing somewhat of an echo for the two Dragons, causing them both to almost double their step rate at the sound of his voice. Momentarily they both sat down before the earth Guardian, making sure to leave a three foot gap between each other. "Alright, now, I am going to say this once, and believe me when I say that no matter how much damage you do, there will be a life gem in it for both of you." Spyro and Cynder continued to swap glances at each other, wondering what he was getting at. "Unless you don't follow the rules, in which case, your partner will not receive the life gem."

"So, what's the rule? And what are we doing anyway?" Spyro asked.

"You are both having a sparring match in full contact. No powers may be used against the other." This caused both Spyro and Cynder to look worriedly between each other. "And if you go easy on your opponent in any strike after the opening minute, your partner shall not receive a life gem to heal themselves with afterwards."

"How long will we be fighting for?" Cynder asked, worried about striking Spyro without restriction.

"Until one of you can't continue." That almost ended it for Spyro. He never wanted to even think about fighting against Cynder again during the war, let alone now. But to make it seem like a fight to the death was almost cruel by the earth Guardian, as if trying to force the past back on the two of them.

Spyro looked at Cynder, who didn't seem to be as phased as he about fighting against each other. Sure, Spyro could pick up a distinct hatred from Cynder's expression of the idea, but in the end, what choice did they have?"

"Are there any questions?"

"No, I will not fight her." Spyro stood up and walked forward a few steps. "I don't care what happens, but I refuse to fight against Cynder like I did in the war. I can't do it."

"Then I guess that leaves Cynder with two options. She can go ahead with what I have stated, or you can both leave, and I'll inform Cyril that the job wasn't done."

"What, so you mean that I fight Spyro while he does nothing?"

"That is one option, correct."

"Why are you doing this?" Spyro questioned with ire.

"Because, since you both hold no regard for the rules, I wonder if pitting you against each other will make you understand that no matter how much you want to do something, you will always face challenges to reach that which you desire. Yes, this may be a little extreme, but in the entire instance of the lesson I'm trying to teach you, nothing is ever easy."

"We both knew that to begin with." Spyro continued.

"And yet, you wasted little time in breaking the rules. Was that easy for you?"

"No. It wasn-"

"Then my point stands." Terrador interrupted the purple male. "No matter how you look at it Spyro, there is no other way around problems that you face in the future. If Cynder turned out to bear young from your actions, then it wouldn't be easy for her to birth it. It wouldn't be easy to raise it, and it certainly wouldn't be easy to watch it grow up and leave you both after the first two years of it's life." Terrador took a step forward and turned Spyro around with one arm. "Now, you can either ignore my advice and avoid this little issue, having to hide what all us Guardians know you two are doing, and take punishment for doing so in the first place. Or, you can deal with this now and be free to do whatever you wanted whenever you pleased for as long as you lived in the walls of this temple. The choice is yours, Spyro, Cynder. If you want to talk it over and try to reach an agreement, you have five minutes. At the end of which I will ask you both for your decision, and act accordingly." Terrador turned and walked to the far end of the room, leaving both Spyro and Cynder to their thoughts, and each other.

"Spyro? Why is this such a big deal to you?"

"Because I don't want to fight you Cynder. The last time I did was when Malefor had control over you. I almost killed you! And I never want to have any memory of that moment again! Doing this will only bring back memories of what you were, and I don't want to know what you were because I love you for who you are now."

Cynder lowered her head. She was never happy with her past, she only wished she had a chance to forget it all and move on with her life without having a scenario turn up that left memories clawing at the back of her mind. "Spyro, you know that I'll never be like that again. The only person that has influence over me is you. Spyro, if you can't do this, then I won't force you anything onto you." She took a step backwards and lightened her tone slightly. "Besides, I think this could be fun."

"What about this could be fun, Cynder? Do you actually want to have a match against me?"

"No, Spyro. It's not something that I want to do, I just think that it would be interesting to see which of us was actually stronger."

"You can't answer that by having us fight against teach other. You know that I don't want to hurt you, so I'd lose no matter what happened."

Cynder took a step forward. "Spyro, Terrador was right, there are no easy steps in life. If we want to become closer, sometimes we need to step back and do something that isn't normal to us." She nuzzled Spyro for a few moments before pulling back again. "What is ten minutes of torture for the rest of our life in happiness? I know it's not an easy thing to agree to, or a good thing to say, but this is the only time we have to do this or the rest of our lives."

"But, I-"

"Spyro please, if you're not going to do it for yourself, then at least do it for me."

Spyro sighed, what choice did he have? Although he morally objected to the prospect of fighting Cynder purely due to the fact that they were mates, it was something she wanted to do, just because of what they would be free with in the future. "Alright, I'll do it. But never again will we speak of this moment afterwards. I don't want to remember what you were."

"Then you never shall."

Spyro turned around, Cynder walking at his side, making their way to the far side of the room where Terrador was staning and arranging weight blocks for any Dragon who wished to train on their own. "So, have you two reached a decision?"

"Yes, we'll do it." Cynder spoke.

"Then you shall begin in one moment. Remember, you can't use your powers, no attacks aimed at the tails, although you may attack using it. No penalty will be given if the tail is used to block an attack. I will shield any life-threatening blows, should one look dangerous. And the end of the match will be decided by either a winning strike, blocked by myself, or the opposing Dragon unable to continue." Terrador stepped towards the center of the training room, which was effectively a large arena. "Take your places on either side of the room." Spyro headed off to Terrador's right side while Cynder went to his left. "Are there any questions?"

"Yes! I have one." Cynder spoke up, acquiring the attention of both Dragons. "Can you tell us who won between Ember and Flame?"

"Terrador chuckled. "Flame was much like Spyro about the idea, in the end that was his downfall. Ember won purely because Flame slowed his movements because he was fighting Ember. It only further proves to me that you are weakened by emotions that cloud your judgment. An opponent is an opponent no matter which way you look at it. It is going to be either you, or them who emerge victorious, and sometimes, losing is death." 

"So you're using this as a training exercise for us both?" Spyro questioned.

"Nice of you to pick up on that Spyro. You must always be aware of your opponent, but never more than you have to because your feelings can distract you in battle. Which means you could lose your life." Terrador glanced between both Spyro and Cynder, who stood in position. "You may begin. Good luck to you both, and may the best fighter win."

Cynder immediately stepped forward to the center of the room, immediately halving the distance between her and Spyro. She knew Spyro's fighting style so well, due to the number of fights they had won together, but on the other hand, the opposite also held true. So, if Cynder was going to win, she would have to change her style enough to throw Spyro off, yet keep it within her grasp of what was, to her, a normal fight.

Spyro on the other hand had been taught to fight many ways during the war. He had been taught by more races throughout Avalar than there were Dragons staying at the temple. But unfortunately, over the years he had forgotten many of them, probably half, but substituted them with his own. Although the stipulation of the spar was that he couldn't use his elemental breath attacks which had aided so much during the war against the apes and Malefor's other abominations. So the best thing for Spyro to do in his mind would be to watch Cynder's attacks, and try to dodge at a hit and run use of tactics. It was one of the first idea's that came to him, considering that she already knew much of his main fighting style, and he hers. It was the most unpredictable thing he could come up with at the time.

Spyro slowly made his way forward, closing the distance between Cynder and himself to just an arms-length away. The two circled about each other, neither one wanting to make the first strike. But as Spyro stepped around the circle which Cynder had started, something caught his eye. There was a faint red glimmer outside one of the windows, causing Spyro to immediately try and figure out what it was.

Cynder seized the opportunity and swung her tail around, catching the slow-to-react Spyro on his right foreleg, leaving a deep gash with the first strike. "That was uncalled for! I saw something outside!"

"So did I Spyro, but your opponent isn't outside, is she?"

Spyro growled to himself, immediately gaining a limp on his right foreleg due to the impressive power behind Cynder's blow. It almost left the limb completely useless to Spyro, it was hardly strong enough to support his entire weight, let alone strike with it.

Cynder knew she had taken an early lead. Yes, it took advantage of Spyro's naturally curious nature, but any excuse to gain a victory. Cynder knew she had to press her attack if she wanted to win. Although Spyro's injury wasn't going to get any better, the longer she waited, the better on his feet he became, getting used to only using three legs.

Leaping forward with her forelegs extended, Cynder aimed for Spyro's unharmed left side. A strike to his left rear leg would severely cripple his movements, and almost immediately giving Cynder the victory. And so, that was where she aimed. Cynder planted her left foreleg, swinging around the rest of her form and extending her right hind leg to aim at Spyro's left. Spyro, however, was gone. The only warning to what was coming next was when a purple blur, on her right side, lashed out and delivered the same blow that she had been about to. But now he was within reach of her tail, and she swung the blade around hard, only to have it stab empty air as Spyro leapt into the air with his wings, flapping once and swinging over Cynder's form, and landing behind her again, lashing out at her other hind leg. Cynder managed to move back just in time, and felt the air-trail of claws pass by.

The pain was immediate, but Cynder couldn't help but feel that Spyro had held back on that strike, as bad as it was. It would have done much more damage to her, probably ending the fight right then and there, but instead, he only did what she did to his foreleg. Cynder, thrown off balance, collapsed to the floor from the lack of use from her hind leg, with Spyro hesitantly trying to capitalize the moment. He wasted several seconds before moving towards Cynder, but that was all the time she needed. As Spyro had pushed himself forward to try and come at her from above, Cynder had rolled to the side, dodging his downward strike easily, once again catching him with her tail blade, if only glancing him. She had rendered his other foreleg to bleeding, at best. Cynder pushed herself back to a standing position, but fell back down immediately, noticing a blood trail from the crook where her arm and chest met. She watched as Spyro tried to manage himself without the easy use of both forelegs. Eventually he found a vertical base, standing on only his hind legs and using his wings as balance.

Spyro's movements were awkward and sluggish, but she knew he would be able to strike quickly if given the chance, although it was funny to see him stand like that. So far in the fight, he had successfully confused Cynder o his fight style, but now she was figuring it out, she was wrong. But it wasn't time to think of Spyro like that, it was the main reason she was doing this in the first place. To have freedom to do whatever they wanted whenever they pleased without risk of punishment by the Guardians.

Cynder watched as Spyro closed his eyes, either trying to gain some movement over his forelegs, which just seemed to dangle at his sides, or he was preparing to try and attack. But what could he attack with? Cynder found herself asking. Spyro leant forward, placing his forepaws on the ground, if only for a moment, just to recoil them and pull back to a vertical position.

Cynder knew that she had to strike again and try to win this before Spyro started to look any more pathetic. Cynder made a brief thought on what would be the easiest way to attack Spyro. His back seemed the easiest, always, just because it was out of sight, but with both his forelegs hurt, more so than her hind leg, she figured a head on approach was the best way to go. Cynder sprung forward using her good hind leg, using the winds to stabilize her as she drew closer to Spyro, who opened his eyes and looked determined. Cynder feigned to go right, as she had a good spring back to the middle with her working right hind leg, and everything looked as if it was going perfectly.

Spyro flashed his wings over his head, and brought them down in a mighty crack that

Cynder felt reverberate through her entire form, accompanied by a fierce wind from the power of his wings. He them mirrored her own move, pointing his horns toward her chest as he closed in with a leap.

There was a loud crack of stone as both Spyro and Cynder dropped where they stood. A thin cloud of dust obscuring the view of what happened to everyone but Terrador, who had stopped the fight. "Alright, that will do." Terrador turned his head and dug out one of the bags at the side of the room, two life gems. One for each Spyro and Cynder. After the dust cleared, Spyro found himself with a massive headache, and Cynder felt as if she had been winded. "Spyro wins this one, if only just. Cynder you became a little overconfident towards the end, and lowered your guard to Spyro's wing blasts, which allowed Spyro to cleanly hit you with his horns." Terrador stopped by Cynder, giving her one of the life gem's, which was almost immediately absorbed, and she found herself as she had before the fight. "Now, originally I wasn't going to give this to you Spyro. You were clever in putting your strikes at a lowered rate to put longer lasting damage, but I said no holding back. However, you are the clear winner, so I guess I can't judge you as I did Flame. But leaving you without a life gem would also be cruel." He gave Spyro the gem, and he too found an immediate recovery.

"So that whole rule about going easy on each other was just a lie?" Spyro spoke easily and clearly, like the spar had never happened.

"Of course it was. I wouldn't be a Guardian if I let you beat each other half to death and the left you like that."

"So, we passed you test?" Cynder spoke, sitting herself beside Spyro.

"Yes, yes. Run along now, I shall inform Cyril what has happened between you two."

Spyro and Cynder thanked him and left, Terrador went to go find Cyril and tell him the news straight away. The presence that was watching over the fight laughed with strange mirth. It had watched the fight from a far away, dark land. Cynder had especially transfixed it's thoughts.

It said only one sentence to itself, more like a personal promise than a statement.

"Cynder, Cynder. Why lie to him? You and I both know that he's not the only one who has influence over you…."


	27. Chapter 26 Not Quite a Dragoness

"Are you comfortable, Spyro?" Cynder asked. Judging from the look on his face, he probably wasn't.

"I'm fine, Cynder, really." Spyro climbed to his feet, re-shaped the single sheet on the bed, and lowered himself back next to Cynder. "This is your room too remember, I want you to be comfortable too."

"Don't worry about me Spyro." Cynder tried to reassure the purple male, but Spyro wasn't convinced in the slightest by her words. "I'm just happy that you're here with me, instead of down the hall. It's good to be able to do something in here that isn't sleeping for a change." Spyro rolled his eyes. "Oh Spyro, you know what I mean. It's nice to be able to talk to you after the sun goes down."

"I know Cynder." The purple Dragon draped a wing over his black partner, laying his head down and closing his eyes. "It makes me almost wish we had nothing to do tomorrow."

Cynder gave Spyro a questioning glance. "We haven't had anything to do for weeks, why all of a sudden is it a good thing to have nothing to do? Do you enjoy having nothing to do all day?"

"Of course we had things to do. What did we do today?"

"We didn't have to do that Spyro. And if it wasn't for me, we wouldn't be here together now."

"Then what about yesterday?"

"Spyro, even you didn't want to do that. I only had to threaten you with my life before you agreed to become mates."

"But you see?" Spyro tilted his head and looked back towards Cynder. "We've been doing things all day for the past few weeks. I could name everything for you if you wanted me to. But in the end, tomorrow will be our first day together where we can actually do nothing."

Cynder stared out through her window, the gentle breeze causing the curtain to whip inwardly at the edges. "I guess you're right Spyro. I-" There was a knock at the door, cutting Cynder off. She lowered her voice. "I'll see who it is, if they think we're not supposed to be like this, then stay in the corner." Spyro got up from the bed and stood behind the door. After a few knocks, so perfectly timed that it seemed strange if anyone she knew was actually at her door.

"Cynder, I would like to speak with you for a moment."

Through the wood of the door, Cynder found it hard to tell who it was. Slowly opening it ajar, she got a full glance at the visitor. "Volteer? What are you doing here?"

"Ah, yes. You see, from the test we had today, it was proven that you aren't to have a hatchling. But I believe that there is also something else at play here."

"At play?" Both Spyro and Cynder questioned to themselves at the same time.

"Yes, well. Not entirely at play, but taking effect on you. But more on that later. I shall require your presence tomorrow morning so I can determine if my assumptions are correct. But I must ask you to come alone, as there are matters that Spyro should not be aware of."

The purple Dragon revealed himself from behind the door. "What shouldn't I be aware of?"

Volteer looked at him as though he had been standing there the whole time. "Ah, Spyro. I should have expected to find you here. It's nothing of your concern yet. Believe me, if we had a female Guardian she would be here, but, alas, Cyril doesn't know such matters and Terrador, well, I needn't say anything there. But it is nothing of your concern Spyro, don't worry." Volteer returned his gaze to Cynder. "Are you busy tomorrow at all?"

"No, we were just saying how tomorrow will be the first day that we have nothing to do." Cynder glanced towards Spyro, who regretted saying such words.

"Excellent. I shall be ready from sun-up in the same room as today. Come at whatever time you wish, but earlier will prove less time-consuming. Have a good night." And with that, the golden Guardian turned around and walked back down the corridor.

"I don't have to ask what that is about." Spyro said to himself.

"as long as you know, then I guess it's fine." Cynder mumbled slightly, closing the door and flicking the latch across it, locking it. "I wonder if Ember got called back for another test?"

"I don't know, I guess you can ask her tomorrow. Or I can while you're away. So much for our first day with nothing to do together."

"Spyro! Good that I caught you." Spyro turned around at hearing his name called, finding it stranger that it was Volteer who was calling him. "What happened? Is Cynder all right?" Half the day had gone by after Cynder had left to meet with Volteer. Spyro, having nothing much to do, flew around the Temple a little before taking a swim. He had just returned from the lake, and was walking back to his old room to move the remaining trinkets to Cynder's room when the Guardian caught him.

Spyro's immediate worry caught him off-guard. "What do you mean?"

"You called her back for more tests didn't you?"

"Oh, yes. It's nothing, I told you not to worry about it." Volteer walked to Spyro's side and motioned for him to continue walking. "I am actually here to ask you a few things while Cynder is waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"Waiting for the test to finish. It does take some time for the magic to work, but I must know what is going on. Which is why I require you for a moment."

"Me? What do you need me for?" Spyro stopped in his tracks at the electric Guardian's request. "Is there something wrong?"

"Of course not. I just need your help for a second, it won't take long."

"I'm not worried that it will take long. I don't have anything to do today. But why do you need me?" Spyro continued walking alongside the Guardian.

"It's really nothing. Just while you're not doing anything, instead of tearing you two apart again, I thought I might use this time to my advantage and rule out any problems on your behalf."

"For saying that I shouldn't worry so much, something has to be wrong. We're not hatchlings anymore, Volteer, we need to be told what's going on."

Volteer stopped for a moment and motioned for Spyro to enter the same room as yesterday, Spyro assumed it was across the hall from where Cynder was, but was unsure as he hadn't been in this part of the Temple often enough to know the way around completely. "You always were one to question, Spyro. Even when I first met you, you wanted to know everything about anything. But for the moment, it's best if you accept that this doesn't need to be known." Volteer walked in behind Spyro, asking him to sit on one of the beds at the far end of the room again. The electric Guardian walked up to the center table and opened a small vial, placing the lid on the surface and stood still for a few moments.

Spyro continued to look around the room, waiting for Volteer to issue some form of command or task, but, silence. Spyro sat, still looking around the room while Volteer stood at the table, not saying anything or moving at all. "Hmmm, that's what I thought." Volteer spoke to himself, putting the lid back on the vial and turning towards the door. "Alright, you can wait at the door to Cynder's room. After that, you're free to go."

"But I didn't do anything."

"Exactly." Volteer stepped out the door and walked across the hallway to another door, directly opposite of it. He opened it, stepped inside, and closed it again, cutting Spyro's view off from whatever was inside.

"Sorry to take so long, Cynder, but I was needed elsewhere for a few moments.

"It would be good if you could just tell me what is going on." Cynder had lost all patience, she had been in the room for what seemed like all day and had done virtually nothing the whole time. "Or is this just another scheme by Cyril to keep Spyro and I apart for longer?"

"Cynder please, I assure you that this has nothing to do with Cyril. I fact, this has almost nothing to do with him."

"Then why am I here?"

"Because… because…" Volteer trailed off, unable to tell the young Dragoness the truth.

"Because of what?" Cynder could now see visible signs of pity and sorrow on his yellow face.

Volteer sighed. "Cynder, you need to understand that I am speaking purely from an assumptive perspective."

"Can you please just tell me so I can go?"

Volteer took a deep breath as he prepared to tell Cynder what was happening. "Cynder, when you were possessed by the Dark Master's magic, he used a certain powerful stream of it to totally control you body, mind, and emotions. Of course, the magic controlling you mind has been broken, that was done by Spyro during the war. But I am positive that the magic is still affecting your body."

Cynder took a step back, noting the focus Volteer had used in his expressions, and it scared her. "W- What magic?"

"Cynder, I need to know something, and it is important. Have you ever, in the past few weeks ever had or felt an unnatural desire to mate with Spyro? Like you weren't being driven by your own thoughts at the time?"

Cynder was silent a moment, thinking back over the past few weeks, carefully looking over each detail. "No," Ultimately finding nothing.

"That's what I was afraid of." Volteer turned to the side, looking out a window, and trying to put the words together in the best possible way.

"Afraid? Afraid of what?" Cynder was more on-edge than ever. She was worried, scared, and wondering what was wrong.

"Cynder, I know that the magic is still affecting you because you…" Volteer still found it hard to pick and choose the words without sounding cruel.

"What?"

"I mean that, when Malefor had control over you, he cast a long and difficult stream of spells on you that kept your reproductive system from functioning properly." Cynder took a step back, sitting down on the center bed at the far end of the room. "Cynder, I'm sorry. I tried everything that I could to find the source, but that's just it, I have to know what the magic is bound to destroy the seals. In short, I need to know what's powering the spells." The black Dragoness lowered her front half to the ground, not wanting to believe the words spoken to her. Volteer stepped forward, closing the gap between Cynder and himself. "I'm sorry Cynder, really. I did everything I could to reverse or block the spell, but nothing worked. Cynder turned her head away, curling it around the rest of her form. "Do you want me to bring Spyro in?"

"N-no! He c- can't know!" Cynder jumped to her feet, he legs shaking slightly from the overflow of emotion. "I- it would kill him…"

"You can't keep this from him forever, Cynder. One day Spyro will want hatchling od his own."

Cynder collapsed back to the bed, tears already staining the material several shades darker. "T-th- they were r- right… I- I- am not g-good enough for S- S- Spyro…"

"Cynder, this is not your fault, and I will find a way to reverse it." Cynder gave no response, only tightening herself further into a ball again. Volteer headed towards the door, stepping outside to see Spyro standing there.

"Can I see her?"

"No, she needs some rest. I'm sorry Spyro, but she needs some time to recover."

"Recover? What happened?"

"Some of the tests had a few pre-requisites that needed to be filled before they could take place." Volteer lied, keeping Spyro occupied while Cynder could compose herself. "I'm not sure how long she'll be asleep for, but I advise you don't go in and see her, she will come to you."

Volteer continued down the corridor, heading into the Guardian's chambers, once more finding Cyril standing before the pool of visions, almost waiting for something to occur. "Cyril, I have bad news. My original fears have been proven correct, Cynder now knows of her inability to conceive, but Spyro has remained in the dark."

"I guess that's some good news. But I don't know how long it will take for Spyro to find out."

Cyril nodded, staring back into the pool of liquid. "I shall keep an eye on both of them, do you have any information to try and pinpoint the source?"

"It's highly likely. After all, what I may be looking for could be inside Cynder's body, which would make it almost impossible to remove, but I find that highly unlikely as such a device could get damaged during battle."

"You don't think it could be something in the temple?"

"No, unless it is something that Cynder has brought with her. Otherwise it wouldn't be possible to leave it here and hope for us to come back. Then again, if the spell is so advanced, then why wouldn't the carrier?"

"I trust that you can solve the problem Volteer. I don't want to be around when Spyro finds out though."

As the two Guardians finished talking, Volteer and Cyril both felt a chill go through the room. Both shot upright immediately and looked around.

This was no ordinary chill either. It crept into the bones of all three Dragons in the room. Gnawing, burning, blistering cold.

"Volteer quick, when did the season of ice start?"

"About two months ago, it should already be starting with the season of fire's warm winds." Volteer said back, having a good guess at what Cyril was prodding at.

Cyril looked out the window with an alarmed expression. "Wraiths." He said, before looking outside.

As he did, an explosion rocked the ground as the energy burned through the ground.

The wraith that had been listening in on the conversation smiled with cruel malice. The plan had been working very well so far, now it was time to go back. The wraith plane jumped back to the shadow world, which was usually accompanied by a blast of cold air, alerting the two Dragons to it's presence. But it didn't matter, Dragons didn't last long in the shadow world. The wraith appeared back up in the one place it knew to go. It said only three words.

"It is time."

Something that had not quite died looked back at him and laughed cruelly before replying, "So it begins."

Volteer and Cyril went to the roof, where Terrador was already watching far to the north, past the blasted lands surrounding a cursed mountain. As they watched, a large purple column of light had shot straight onto the air, swirling a vortex around it as the seals were stretched. Something was moving through from the other side of the shadow realms, and that proved bad for them all.

Cyril looked on for another few moments before returning his gaze to Volteer and Terrador. "Send word to Warfang and the cheetahs, tell them to send scouts to the well of souls." The other two looked at him for a moment longer before moving off. Cyril said one more thing to himself. "Ancestors preserve us, our work may not be finished."

**Okay, here it is. The part we all have been waiting for. This chapter marks the end of the story my friend wrote, but it is also the dawn for it as well. I now have full control over where this story goes next. Yes, this will mean fewer updates, but I'm going to try to update every week, if I'm not writing for my other book. **

**What I want to know now is, did you like it? So far a lot has happened to our hero's, but it's not near to being over. Tell me how I did re-writing this entire story, and don't be afraid to provide a negative review if you didn't like it. **

**Okay, now on to Thank you's.**

**First off, I want to say thank you to Path Unknown for giving me the story in the first place. You may not be on this site anymore, but I will always have good fond memories for what you did. I want to thank htffan951 for all the positive reviews, you rock. Lastly I want to thank everyone who read this and/or reviewed. This story now has almost 5000 views! That is incredible. I have spent hours upon hours in front of my computer making this happen. I stayed up until about two A.M. roughly for the last 6-7 weekends. I think all this hard work has paid off, but it's really you guys who inspired me to put this up, that and the fact that it was a shame that it ended.**

**One last thing. Due to all the positive feedback I get, what do you want to see happen in a future chapter? I want to have a chapter or two that does not involve Spyro or Cynder as the main perspective. It can be any character or characters you want besides Spyro or Cynder. I need a few chapters in here that goes through a day in the life of one of the guardians, Flame/Ember, or any character we have met throughout the book. If anyone wants to write one, it would really help out by giving me more time to write the main story. All credit for the chapter goes to the person that wrote it, no if's and's or but's. I will select the best one first, then so on and so forth. If nobody wants to write something, that's fine. I have a few Idea's of my own to implement just in case, but I want to see what you can come up with.**

**Nest update: Dec 29. Until we meet again.**


	28. Chapter 27 Rebirth of Darkness

Okay, first chapter in the series written by me. This chapter is going to be quite different than the rest. Before anyone objects, this was a little rushed, in my opinion but also one of my favorites to write. A lot of new things happen in this chapter, so I plan to tone it down a bit in the next. Since it is the first chapter, really kick me in the gut over this one. I would like any reviewers to tell me everything I did right and wrong in this. Everything. Now that this is out of the way,

Enjoy.

Clouds began to swirl around the ruins of the mountain known as The Well of Souls. The air was thick with both Dreadwings and black chanting. Fell mutterings on the wind would have chilled any ape stupid enough to draw close the chills. As it was, they were forced to line up in ranks; fear was the only driving force behind their loyalty. No one assembled knew what was happening, not even their commanders. Only that everyone had received a feeling to redraw all forces back to the ruined fortress. And they were about to find out why. A Dragon blacker than the night landed amidst the ranks of Apes.

...

The dark whispers on the wind were intensified at the center of the mountain, the source of the Dark master's return four years ago. When he felt the power drawing him, he immediately left the wastelands for the Well of Souls. His name was Auron. Auron was a midnight black Dragon whose color melted into the shadows like butter upon a fire. Auron had taken a major part in the war over Avalar as head of Malefor's armies. The replacement for Cynder.

When Spyro had broken the curse on Cynder, rendering her back into the light, Malefor had his back-up plan, as always. Using what little of his power that remained, instead of himself Malefor had sent Auron through a different portal just before Spyro cut off Avalar from Convexity. Working through him was different than Malefor had done through Cynder. Instead of directly corrupting his thoughts, he had let Auron serve through free will, not hard considering that Auron was his son.

Auron felt his father's power begin to weaken three years after he was released, about the same time sightings of the purple Dragon resurfaced. Auron had weakened and destroyed most of the resistance with Malefor's help, and was moving in to crush the remaining city of Warfang with his army before receiving a summons from Malefor. With a sigh of regret, Auron had passed command to the next officer after him, an idiotic Grublin who had too much thirst for battle. Auron was right, and it cost him the battle. Upon arriving at Malefor's fortress, his father gave him explicit orders to hunt down the remaining Apes in the waste, and not to come back until he received further orders.

Auron had been confused at the time as to what madness had overtaken his father. As Auron found out a week later, Spyro and Cynder had killed his father. Somehow, with all the might of the ancestors at Malefor's back, he had somehow lost. Auron now had no one to turn to, and vanished into the waste, building up small bands of Malefor's creatures. So Auron's life had become, scavenging the remains of the once mighty army for a return strike on Avalar.

But the moment never seemed to come. Always, there were food shortages, or disease breaking out among the ranks. They had no hope to overcome Avalar's forces. Auron had even heard reports that dragons, young Dragons had come out of hiding to help rebuild and defend their home. Auron had lived in the wastes for a year before he felt something. It was familiar, it had been all around him when he was in charge of the army. His father's power. The last time he had felt it was when he had been ordered to hunt the remaining Apes down. A nearly impossible task for a single Dragon. He had never finished the task either.

As he woke one morning, Auron felt in the back of his head a Dark energy flow into him. He immediately sat up and looked around, tensing for enemies. When nothing came, Auron relaxed a little and looked deep into his mind. What he found made him gasp. When he opened his eyes he found himself already running to take off from the ground. He didn't know why, but for some reason he flew to the Well of Souls, as if it would hold some answers. As it turned out, it did.

The apes watched on in fear as the midnight colored Dragon appeared out of nowhere and landed on the top of the mountain, right in front of them. The Dragon stopped in front of the nearest ape and glanced all over him with an appraising eye. Almost like a buyer at a market looking for just the right thing.

"You have, all of you cowering in the dirt, been summoned here for the same reason I have." The Dragons voice had a very seductive quality to it, and many recognized the hint of Malefor's it contained.

"I have chosen you to come here to witness a new age in the making. These foolish Dragons in their tem[le, thinking they are masters of the world. Oh, but how wrong they are….

Many of you probably have no Idea who I am… Allow me to enlighten you."

...

Spyro and Cynder ran outside after hearing the thunderous explosion, wondering what was going on. Dragons and Dragoness's were running around everywhere, all gathering, pushing and shoving each other for a view of a distant mountain. Seeing Volteer run past, Spyro called out.

"Volteer! What's going on? Cynder and I heard an explosion, then everyone started to panic."

"Spyro, Cynder! I need your help! I need everyone inside the temple grounds now! Anyone left outside in the next half hour is going to be shut out for the next week or so." Instead of asking the questions Volteer knew were burning within the young purple's mind, he instead took Cynder by the arm and both immediately took off.

It was absolutely incredible for Volteer. He felt invigorated as his mind went over the possible caused of that light in the sky. Judging from the distance the mountain was at, and the light set off on top, Volteer knew only too well that it was the Well of Souls. The origin point raised even more questions inside him. Why was this happening? Who was behind it? What might happen afterwards? All interesting questions that burned inside his head. Volteer found himself enjoying it. It had been so long since he had a good problem tickle his mind in such a way. Not since the war on Malefor.

So transfixed was he by the possible cause, that he hardly paid any attention to what he was doing. As a result, a half hour had passed and Cynder was now in front of him, yelling some incoherent words. Volteer shook his head, snapping out of it.

"What are you going to do? A half hour has passed and Cyril just informed Spyro that all Dragons had been accounted for. What happens now?"

"I'm sorry Cynder, I was thinking about what was happening in the north, and you know me. I get distracted."

"I'll say so…" Cynder muttered to herself. "Anyway, what are you talking about? What is happening in the north?"

"Ah, I see you haven't paying as much attention yourself." He said with a chuckle. "Look to the north now, you'll find what you are searching for."

Cynder looked to the north, and stopped immediately when she saw the beam of purple light. Spyro landed out of the sky next to her, and asked her.

"Cynder? What's wrong?"

Cynder remained motionless, not willing to take her eyes off the northern sky. "Lo-look."

Spyro looked at Cynder in confusion, wondering what the heck she was talking about. Then, out of the corner of his eye Spyro saw a light flash. Though flash was the wrong word, as the light only got brighter, never dimming. A large beam of purple energy speared itself into the sky, cutting off his next question before it made it's way to his lips.

After staring at it for several seconds, Volteer pulled them out of their reverie.

"Volteer, where is that light originating from?" Cynder asked.

Sighing, Volteer said. "The Well of Souls. I'm afraid something is trying to enter our world again. Something powerful indeed if it's able to force it's way into our world without help from the moons."

Cyril swooped in from above, a worried look on his face.

"Volteer, stop conversing and cast the spell!" Cyril sounded very tense at that moment, never before had he yelled at Volteer unless it was very urgent. Running to the front gate, Volteer started to make a strange sound in his voice, no longer that of Volteer, but of something definitively… other. He spoke for a minute before a bright golden light flew from his mouth to the ground in front of him. The light stated to spread, from the main gate to the far wall the light spread, creating a golden dome over the Dragon Temple. Volteer collapsed immediately after casting the spell.

Spyro, moving before anyone, caught Volteer before he hit the ground Grunting under the weight, "A little help maybe?"

Cynder and Cyril helped set Volteer heavily on the ground, not more than five seconds passed before Volteer started to babble again.

"Most wondrous! I do believe that has added years to my life, as I feel positively rejuvenated!" As he was won't to do, Volteer rambled on about the strange occurrence for another several minutes before Cyril shut him up.

"Volteer!" He said laughing, "It's great to see you acting like your old self, but now is not the time. We must prepare for what is to come…"

...

The apes were all starting to lose it, a few simply running away, only to be cut down by grublins from the shadows.

"I am the last vestige of your former master… Malefor. I believe many of you thought you had felt his power rising from this point, no? Let me first introduce who I am. My name is Auron. First and last of the line of Malefor. I served him in his ruling years, as did many of you."

The apes before Auron were all quivering in fear.

"Now, as you have come full circle, I shall reveal why you are here." The swirling mists had started to rise all around them, stopping inches from the chest of Auron, at the neck of the apes. Except for one spot. In the middle of the peak of the mountain stood a large purple crystal, almost black in it's shade. Around it stood the wraiths of five purple Dragons, all staring off into the distance as if they were guarding something.

"I have grown in power, much more than that of Cynder. I have called upon you with my fathers power so you may witness the rebirth of darkness."

Some of the apes let out a cheer, thinking that they might potentially profit from this.

Auron let out a smile before turning around to face the Guardians of the light surrounding the crystal. Walking up to one, he breathed a blast of convexity upon it, burning it with purple fire. The Guardian faded away, not even screaming as it faded and died a true death. The four remaining Guardians looked up with alarmed expressions on their faces, most of them trying to defend themselves before they too, met the same fate. Auron walked up and placed a paw on the black Crystal, muttering under his breath.

The black Dragon carved a small sign into the crystal before backing away. Something let out a high shriek, like glass breaking, before a small hint of blue light winked into existence over the sign. The light grew as it revealed itself, until it was big enough to allow a Dragon three times the size of Auron to walk through it. A blast of purple energy speared itself into the sky, illuminating the land for mile out before stopping.

Apes left and right looked at each other, all knowing what this was: Convexity portal. Auron turned around and addressed the apes.

"You have all seen the new Beginning in full! Now, you will do as Malefor wanted." Nodding to the grublins, they all turned to the apes and killed them one by one before throwing them into the portal. Shattering their necks, the apes fell with an astonishing speed. Nothing could be done about it looked at Auron with a fear and panic in his eyes great and vast as the sea.

"Why are you doing this?" It said in a squeak of a voice."

Cruel and uncaring eyes looked back at it. "A portal that allows travel to convexity requires blood. You will give me that blood. Ha, it seems fitting that after disobeying Malefor you should have died at his hand. But it turns out you were needed for this project." The view of the apes eyes was cut off as his head rolled onto the floor, followed by his body disintegrating in the portal.

After all the apes had been killed, something visible happened. A purple wave swept through the portal, followed by labored breathing. Auron stepped through the portal, instantaneously transporting him to the dark realms.

A figure stood chained before him to a nightmarish looking throne. The chains were made out of Adamantine links, completely unbreakable to the prisoner. Around them there was a castle with floating spike and flourishing buttresses made of blue crystal. Looking upon it made Auron think of Cynder's castle in the crystal mountains. The figure looked up at Auron, death floating in it's eyes yet unable to die.

An understanding swept over the figure as Auron placed a black gem into a receptacle in the center of the room. The walls began to move, sliding away to reveal the points where the chains were tied down. The figure on the throne moved, surprised at it's own movement. It had not been able to move for the longest time, spent in this inescapable hell. The chains on the wall shattered as The figure broke them with the ease of a bone, his strength returning. Standing up, was a large purple Dragon with two horns sweeping back in a curve from his crest, with a third jutting back from his forehead.

Looking at Auron, it said, "Now begins my vengeance. Tell me, son, where is Spyro?"


	29. Chapter 28 Solaris

**For all who are reading, I'd like to give a shoutout to Aegis Dragon for coming up with the OC's in this chapter, and for allowing me to flesh them out. All characters and Idea's behind them belong to him. This one's for Aegis.**

**As always **

**Enjoy**

Heat. There was always the heat. The sun beat down mercilessly upon the desert waste that surrounded Avalar. So much that nothing grew anywhere on the ground unless you were at an oasis. However, those little islands of life were not the only source of food in a desert. When one looked hard enough, one can always find life to sustain you.

Solaris scrambled over a rock to get a better view of the antelope. Solaris was a light Dragon, probably the last of his kind. Solaris found what he had been tracking for days; a small doe with a strange gait, most likely a broken foot. When one lived in the desert, one learned to take what you could. Solaris scrambled over into the cover of a dune right next to the rock, eye's on his prize. On a normal time Solaris would have flown out to get his food, but today he felt up for a bit of challenge, and did not want to have to fly out in the open where all could see him.

Being a light Dragon had its pro's and draws. He had almost mastered control of the light element, and was able to do devastating damage to anything with his radiant element. On the other paw, his coat of scales shown like the sun. A bright gold covered him from nose to tail-tip, only darkening a little on his underside to a very bright brown. That was what he hated most about being a light Dragon, his scales. They shone bright even in total blackness, likely some sort of ancient magic his breed retained through the years. His wings and eyes were the purest white. A light Dragon was said to have the most seductive eyes of all dragon breeds, with the purple's in second.

_Back to the task at hand, Solaris. Back to the task at hand. Fill your belly, then see about finding some civilization._ He thought to himself. Solaris had heard about the war years ago, when a purple Dragon betrayed everyone for more power. Then, when defeat was close, he vanished. Like a desert storm, gone with no trace on where he might have gone. Solaris had heard tell from some refugee's that the purple had been defeated by the combined might of the four Guardians and the Chronicler, if you believed such tales. As Solaris thought about what had happened all those years ago, he began to go over what happened in his mind again.

Flashback

It was a beautiful day. The sun shone down upon him with its brilliant radiance, almost as if it was looking directly at him and saying, "This day belongs to you, use it well." The day had started off just as normal. He had woken up ad said good morning to his parents, both had descended from light Dragons Dragons as well. He got a bite to eat of the deer his father bagged and brought home before going out to meet with his girlfriend, Nova.

They were going to meet up at the waterfall near the base of a cliff, just to enjoy the day. Walking up to the entryway to his cave, Solaris took off and made his way to their waterfall. It took less than ten minutes to get there, and when he did he saw Nova already waiting for him.

Solaris looked now upon the most beautiful creature ever to cross his path. Nova was a fire Dragon of a deep red shade, almost to the point of scarlet, with a slightly pinkish tint to her underside. Solaris sighed as he looked at her, and then she waved him over.

"Hey! Solaris what are you doing standing over there?" Nova said with a laugh. When Nova laughed, it made him laugh, which made him feel all the happier despite the joy he already felt.

"Hey Nova, how are you?"

"Solaris, I'm just great. I brought the items for the picnic this time so you wouldn't have to go hunting for lunch."

"Wow, thanks. But you really didn't have to."

"Actually I did. You have been finding food for us for the past two weeks; it should be my turn to return the favor."

"Well, as long as you didn't go through too much trouble to get it…"

"And would it matter if I did? I am a Dragon after all-" Solaris just laughed and walked up to her before embracing her in a passionate kiss. She stopped talking immediately and started to kiss him back. It was these moments that Solaris never wanted to end. When he was here with Nova, not a thing could touch him.

Solaris broke the kiss after a few minutes, and looked at Nova's eyes. Her eyes were a beautiful bright blue, on that he loved.

"So, have you made any progress with your study on dark Dragons?" Nova always turned the talk towards his passion. She loved to hear about his studies. As a light Dragon, Solaris was unusually smart. He always had a book under his nose when he wasn't doing anything more important. His favorite subject was that of dark Dragons.

Dark Dragons, the polar opposite of Solaris, a light Dragon, was mostly forbidden to read about. The reason for that was because a young purple Dragon, of unknown name or origin, had used those books to learn dark magics. Magics that could twist another's mind and control them completely. The only was Solaris had gotten his paws on them was because the elder of his town thought he should be more educated in the subject than others. This was probably because after the purple Dragon used those books, he found the secrets of mind control within, along with other black magics. The elder thought Solaris would be able to counter the magic with his own, the natural enemy of the dark.

"My studies have actually been going great. I have finally found out how a dark Dragon is created. A host Dragon needs to have the power of darkness already inside them before they can be put under control."

"Aren't Dark Dragons already evil? They would just agree to work with another evil Dragon, wouldn't they?"

"No, they wouldn't. As you may not know, Dark Dragons are just as good as anyone else. It's just that their powers are more powerful than most. Thelduin the black was one of the greatest Dark Dragons ever to live. He helped to contain the Destroyer of worlds when the world almost broke over seven thousand years ago."

"Anyway, I have finally figured out where the magic comes from. It seems that certain types of Dragons are born with a high amount of energy. They use energy to breathe their elements and elemental enhanced attacks. The only way other Dragons can contain and create more energy is to be around or break green crystal shards. That energy is the source of magic, though I don't know where magic itself came from." Solaris said.

"Magic? Is that what you have? I know you didn't want me to, but a few weeks ago I was passing by your house when I saw a brilliant flash of sunlight. It came from inside your house. I walked up to the window, and then it happened again. I saw you sitting there performing the most amazing breath attacks I have ever seen." Nova looked at Solaris with a guilty expression. The main reason Solaris didn't want her around when he practiced his elemental breath attacks was because he had no teacher to help him along. This resulted in many of his attempts exploding in his face and melting stone around him.

"I just don't want you to get hurt when I practice." Taking her paw, Solaris said, "The other day my attack failed, blew up in my face and melted the rock around me. It could have killed me, and I don't want to risk putting you in such danger when I practice." Nova nodded her head and changed the subject, Solaris always became gloomy when the talked of elemental breaths. Everyone in town had a teacher, all except Solaris.

"So, do you know what tomorrow is?" Nova asked with her head held high.

"How could I forget? It's the Grand midsummer night Gala. You've been talking about it for weeks. What about it?"

"Aren't you going to ask someone special to the Gala?

Solaris laughed. "Why do you play this game? I already assumed you and I would go together, why wouldn't we?"

Nova looked at him shocked. "Why would I go with some offbeat Dragon with no courage to ask his lady?"

Solaris gaped at Nova. "You're serious about this?"

"Of course I am, stupid."

Solaris sighed. "Ok, let's get this over with. Nova?"

"Yes, Solaris?"

"Will you go to the Grand Midsummer night Gala with me?"

"Of course! Who else would I go with?" Nova laughed, making him smile.

"OH, so you want to play like that, eh?"

Solaris jumped up and playfully talked her to the ground. Both Dragons laughed loudly, their shrieks of delight echoing for hours afterward until the sun had finally met the horizon. Both Dragons flew home slowly, giving each other turns and darts in the air.

Solaris took Nova home, kissed her goodbye, and waved to her father before returning to his own home. Instead of staying up to eat with his parents, he told them he was tired, as indeed he was, and started to walk to his room, saying goodnight to his parents as he went. Solaris opened the door to his room, letting the light into the hall. His room was bare of everything except his needs and his books. Ignoring everything except the bed, Solaris slowly crept into it, and promptly fell asleep with a Dream of Him and Nova dancing at the midsummer night festival.

A rapid stream of explosions hitting the ground from a height woke Solaris up from his slumber. Solaris looked out the window; the moon was just going down. _Great,_ He thought,_ Wake me up before dawn with your noisy and early celebrations._ Solaris thought.

Solaris got out of bed and began to walk towards the cave entry, when another series of explosions rocked the ground. Solaris paused for a moment, these were definitely not fireworks.

Solaris ran out to the main room, looking for his parents. They were nowhere to be found, and the explosions continued in the background. Solaris ran to the cave mouth, and stopped when he saw wheat was outside. A large fire raged outside of his cave, the entire town was being ravaged by the fire. Already it had consumed half the town. Solaris saw his father, a town elder, fly to the town hall from a distance. Solaris was about to follow him when he caught first sight of his enemy. A large, completely black Dragon silhouetted against the fire fly after his father

Solaris felt a pang of dread. This was no ordinary black Dragon, this was dark magic possession. That meant they would be fighting a force they might not be able to defeat, a Dragon who fought against his or her will. Solaris took flight, soaring through the air, he had to find Nova and get her to safety. Solaris landed on the ground in front of her house, and was immediately attacked by a large ape holding a wicked cleaver.

Screaming its gibberish language, it ran at him weaving the cleaver like a club rather than a sword. Solaris ducked under it's first attack and jumped left to avoid the second. But missed the third, the blade biting into his shoulder. Solaris did not have any time for this, calling upon his elemental power, Solaris used his light breath attack. The ape screamed in pain as a bright golden solar fire burned him to a crisp. Behind him, several more apes ran at him, all meeting similar fate to the first.

"I don't have time for this!" Solaris said to himself. He took flight and made his way towards the main hall. While in the air, he caught sight of several large, oversized bats carrying more apes to the town. Dragons were all over the skies and ground trying to combat this new threat.

Solaris alighted at the front gate to the hall of elders, looking for his father. In front of him was a dead yellow electric Dragon, stabbed through the head with some sort of blade. Whatever it was, it was made of strong material to drive all the way through a dragons skull. Solaris heard voices in the main hall, so he flew up to the roof to surprise any enemies, and help any allies that might be inside.

Upon nearing the window at the top of the temple, the voices could now clearly be discerned. Looking inside, Solaris saw his mother, his father, the village elder, and the council of elders all surrounding a large black female Dragon. Solaris dimly noted this as the Dragon he saw earlier.

His father spoke up, "What is it you want? We have no quarrel with the outside realms. State your demands or be gone!"

In a dark, seductive voice, the female answered. "My, my, don't we have a large amount of bravery here."

"Tell us what you want demon. Before I lose taste and decide to tear you limb from limb."

The female gave him a look that silenced him immediately. "Why don't you keep your fat mouth shut before I decide to kill you where you stand. I realize you all know what is going on, so I'll make this quick. You have a light Dragon hidden in this village. This light Dragon is needed by my Master. Bring him to me, or I will destroy this town along with all of its inhabitants."

All of the Dragons in the room froze. No one had ever come to a village demanding the life of a young Drake. All of the elders look at Solaris's father, who had an impassive face.

"What is your answer?"

Solaris's father spoke up again. "We will never betray one of our own to demon filth. Leave now, and never return. We do not-"

Solaris's father was cut off in mid sentence, as Cynder whipped her tail up and caught Solaris's father in the throat. Solaris saw a wicked blade fixed to her tail, which passed right through his father's scales. Solaris felt his heart skip several beats as his father fell to the ground in what seemed like slow motion. Solaris felt tears begin to fall down his face, his mother screaming and throwing herself at Cynder.

Cynder laughed, "What is that going to accomplish? You saw how easily I overpowered that fool. What is it you plan to do?"

Only tears answered her. Cynder again dashed forward and took up Solaris's mother's neck in her jaws, snapping the vertebra with relevant ease. Solaris could only curl into a ball as he watched both his parents die under his gaze. For the first time in his life, Solaris truly felt hopeless. Not being able to do anything for those around him, and now his parents were dead. Solaris cried on the rooftop, listening to his parents last breath escape them.

Cynder turned towards the rest of the terrified Dragons before her, now with an angry look in her eyes. "I'm not going to ask again. Where is he!?" Cynder screamed. "You will show me where he hides, or I shall kill each and every one of you! Where is he!"

From behind Cynder came a voice. "I'm right here."

Turning around, Cynder beheld her quarry. The golden Dragon, the only one with the power to harm her without convexity, stood ready to do battle with her.

"So, after I kill half the population, you reveal yourself at last. Will you come peacefully?"

"Over my dead body."

"Just what I wanted to hear."

Cynder and Solaris faced each other, Dragon to Dragon, both at equal power. Cynder dashed forward to slash at Solaris with her paw, but Solaris easily dodged it and countered, which Cynder blocked. Solaris took flight, with Cynder following right behind him, and tried to give him several slashing overhead strikes at the back. All of which missed Solaris, but came so close, he could feel the passage of air on his scales. Solaris then tried to evade her by weaving through the various buildings and barns. Smashing through the barn door, Solaris just barely managed to stay ahead of her. Corkscrewing out of the barn, Solaris managed three or four turns in the air before Cynder smashed him out of the sky.

Somehow, despite her larger frame, Cynder still managed to outmaneuver Solaris in the air. Resorting to his last line of defense, Solaris tried to fight. Running straight at Cynder, Solaris tried to smash one of Cynder's wings with his tail, but only scored her side, while she made a long bloody gash down his side. They traded blows for another few minutes, before Cynder stabbed downward with her talons and wrapped them around his neck.

"Well. Looks like you lost, as if you had any chance. Any last words?" Cynder said maliciously.

Solaris had been about to curse her in every way he knew. To spite her, and take the enjoyment away from the killing. Before he looked into Cynder's eyes. In there he saw a purple haze clouding her mind, but upon looking deeper he saw regret and sorrow resonate through her entire being. He then remembered what he had learned about Dark Dragons. This was not Her fault, Cynder, if that was her birth name, was not to blame for any of this. Rather it was whoever was on the other end of the connection.

Solaris looked at her and smiled a smile of regret. "Just three. I forgive you."

Cynder looked at him incredulously, before a bright, blinding light of a solar flare lit up Cynder's vision. Solaris had temporarily blinded her, giving him time to act. Solaris clawed her side, leaving a nasty gash, then took to the skies. He would find Nova and then take her to Avalar, she would be safe there. Solaris knew that his solar Flare wouldn't keep Cynder busy for long, so he decided to search her house first.

The cave she used to call home was collapsed into ruble, so he decided to check the town square. As he approached the town square, he noticed that most of the Dragons had rallied there, forming a defendable position against the ape horde. As Solaris approached, several older Dragons called out in greeting. Or asked him about the whereabouts of his father. That's when he noticed something strange.

Moving toward him faster than anything he could think of, a shadow, blacker than the night around them hurdled towards Solaris.

_Cynder._

So it proved true, Cynder, Terror of the Skies, launched herself towards Solaris in an attempt to silence him once again.

_I need to lure her away from the rest of the Dragons. Alright, lets end this then._ Solaris flew head on towards Cynder, bracing for impact. It never came.

As he neared the black beast, Solaris heard a cracking noise of bones snapping. _Am I hit? Am I dead?_ Realizing his eyes were closed, Solaris opened them to see what had happened. Seemingly from out of nowhere, a fiery red Dragoness had flown headlong into Cynder. This new force had cause Cynder to miss her intended target, only buffeting him to the ground. The fiery red Dragoness was one Solaris knew only too well.

"Nova! No!"

Both Dragoness's crashed into the ground, with Cynder on top of Nova's ruined frame. The bones Solaris heard snapping were Nova's vertebra, as only her head and neck moved, still biting and tearing at Cynder.

Now really crying, Solaris was about to fly to her aid, when he realized something. He had no chance of beating Cynder. He had to take the opportunity Nova had provided him and escape. Dragons were flying out of the town in droves as the relentless apes started using their black magic, or fell to the accumulated swords and spears thrown at them.

Looking one last time at his love, his Nova, Solaris turned away and whispered to himself before flying away, "I'm sorry, Nova."

He flew to the outskirts of the town, then looked back. Nothing was left but a burning fire. All that he loved, all that he cherished. Gone in one night. Solaris was broken, and lay in the dirt. Crying for his parents, his friends, and for Nova. He was especially sorry because he had planned to ask her to be his mate at the Gala.

Nothing but ashes filled his mouth as he rose from the dirt. He would become an exile. No more civilization for him, no more anything. He just wanted to die somewhere in the wasteland. So he set out into the desert, and didn't look back.

_Flashback ends._

Not a day went by where he didn't think about His parents and Nova. He missed them all dearly, but now that he had gotten back on track, he knew he still had the will to live. Nova would have wanted him to go on. He sighed, somewhere, he felt that Nova was watching over him.

Concentrating back on his hunt, Solaris crept along the sand until he finally was withing leaping distance of his quarry.

_Almost there… NOW!_

Solaris jumped up and tackled the doe before it could even wake up. All around him, deer jumped up and ran as fast as they could. Ran, ran, ran. Anywhere, to get as far away from the beast as possible.

Solaris settled down on his kill, going through his memories again. He had decided against going to Avalar, and instead focused on clearing the wastes of Apes. Whoever had sent them to kill him evidently sent them into the waste often, for Solaris killed new camps every month. For some reason, though, Apes had become more and more frequent, almost as if they were retreating from Avalar.

Though Solaris felt it his duty to kill them, he did not do it out of vengeance, but out of concern for other waste communities that these apes threatened.

What a waste, Solaris knew that he should be doing something more, but he couldn't find out what. What was he supposed to do? Go after Cynder in a revenge attempt? He didn't blame Cynder for it, and the one time he'd gone to confront her at the Crystal castle, he found it in ruins. Someone of great power had destroyed the castle, someone with the power over convexity. That didn't often bode well. Only Dark Dragons and Purple Dragons were born with the ability to use convexity.

The thought had echoed through Solaris's thoughts for the past five years, ever since he left the remains of that castle. Oh, well. He needed to get some sleep, not think about events of the past.

He curled up on the sand in an effort to go to sleep, and nearly succeeded when something rumbled though the ground. Looking up, Solaris dropped his jaw in surprise. Spearing into the air, from the direction of Avalar was a large beam of purple energy. Pure convexity. Whatever was generating this much energy was obviously bad, as only two things could be done with that amount of power. Someone was wither opening a portal, ot someone was resurrecting the dead. Both proved fatal if Avalar wasn't warned.

Looking at the phenomenon made Solaris think of Nova. Perhaps if he destroyed this evil, he would get closure on the matter.

One way or the other, Solaris was about to reveal himself to the world.


End file.
